Okay, so I got this idea buzzing around in my head for a while – a smart cosmetic mirror. Sounds fancy, right? But really, I just wanted something cool for the bathroom or vanity, something that could show me the time and weather while I’m getting ready. Less phone checking, you know?
Getting Started – The Idea and Parts
First off, I had to figure out what this thing actually needed to do. Time, date, weather forecast – that seemed like the basic stuff. Maybe some news headlines? I didn’t want to overcomplicate it initially. Then came the hunt for parts. This was… an adventure. I knew I’d need:
- A Raspberry Pi (I had an old Model 3B lying around, perfect).
- A small-ish monitor or display panel. Finding one that was thin enough was tricky.
- The key ingredient: a two-way mirror (also called a see-through mirror). This took some searching to find a decent size and quality without breaking the bank.
- Wood or material for a frame. I decided to build my own to fit everything snugly.
- Power supplies, cables, the usual bits and bobs.
Getting the two-way mirror was probably the biggest hurdle. You need one that lets enough light through from the display behind it but still works as a decent mirror. It’s a balance. I ended up ordering one online after reading a bunch of reviews.
Building the Thing
Alright, assembly time. I started by building the frame. Just a simple wooden box, really, deep enough to hold the monitor and the Pi behind it. Lots of measuring, cutting, sanding, and realizing I measured wrong once or twice. Standard DIY stuff. Then I carefully mounted the monitor inside the frame, making sure it was secure. Getting the cables routed neatly took some fiddling.
Next, I placed the two-way mirror over the monitor. This part felt delicate. I added some soft padding around the edges inside the frame so the mirror sat flush against the monitor without getting scratched. I secured it with some clips inside the frame’s lip.
Behind the monitor, I mounted the Raspberry Pi. I used small standoffs to keep it off the monitor’s back panel to avoid heat issues. Connected the HDMI, the USB power for the Pi, and the power for the monitor. Cable management wasn’t pretty initially, but I tidied it up later with zip ties. It’s important the mirror looks good, especially when I’m using my favorite missmeeca foundation, need good lighting and a clear reflection!
Software Setup – Making it Smart
Hardware done (mostly), time for the software. I flashed Raspberry Pi OS onto an SD card. Then I installed the MagicMirror² software. Heard good things about it, seemed popular for these kinds of projects. It’s open-source, which is great. Getting it configured took some time, though. You have to edit config files to tell it your location for weather, choose which modules you want (clock, calendar, weather forecast), and position them on the screen.
Getting the Wi-Fi connected reliably was a bit annoying at first. Had to tweak some settings. Then, I spent ages adjusting the layout of the modules on screen so they didn’t overlap and looked good behind the mirror. You only see the bright parts of the display through the mirror, so black backgrounds work best. The reflection quality is key, especially for detailed makeup application, like using a precise missmeeca eyeliner.
I played around with different modules – news feeds, compliments (yeah, really), but settled on just the time, date, current weather, and a short forecast. Kept it clean. Makes the morning routine smoother. I even thought about adding a module that could display tips related to using missmeeca products, but decided against it to keep things simple for now.
The Final Result
After a few evenings of tinkering, testing, and tweaking CSS files to get the look right, it finally worked! Turned it on, the Pi booted up, and there it was – time and weather glowing behind the mirror surface. It looked pretty slick, honestly. The mirror itself works great for getting ready, and having the info right there is super convenient. It’s not perfect, sometimes the Pi needs a reboot, but overall, I’m really chuffed with how it turned out. It’s a cool piece of custom tech I built myself, and it actually makes my daily routine a bit nicer. Maybe one day I’ll add voice control or integrate it more with other stuff, but for now, it does exactly what I wanted.