I had a lighted vanity mirror/medicine cabinet, in a prior home. I thought it looked really ultra-modern and cool. But, overall, I didn't find it very practical. Obviously, the light can't be too bright, or you'd simply be blinded by trying to look at yourself in the mirror. But, without a bright enough like to shine on you, reflect off your face, and then reflect off the mirror, it doesn't really do much, and you need other lighting anyway. And, as you noted, when the light fails, you don't just pop in a new bulb, and it usually means replacing the whole thing. So, it's a trade-off--it looks great, but it's not really practical, and you'll need an additional vanity light(s) anyway. However, there is a potential alternative, and that's a lighted, pull-out, wall-mounted shaving/makeup mirror. I have one now and love it. As for lights to the sides of the vanity or above it? I always recommend above. You'll want bright light, for shaving, putting on makeup, etc. But, if that bright light is next to the mirror, at around eye level, then it can be blinding. Light above the mirror means you're not really looking directly at it. More on reddit.com

I use simplehuman 8 inch mirror. As lazy as it sounds, I just love the feature of it turning on and off by itself. The magnifying is the perfect amount and you have the option of switching from candlelight to daylight. Only con being that it runs out of battery pretty quick and takes about 8 hours to fully charge.

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