Why This Woman Removing Makeup Is So Captivating

I feel like many people these days don’t use makeup to add a little glitz and glam to their natural beauty, but rather to change their beauty. Recently, a YouTube video of a South Korean woman removing her makeup from one side of her face went viral because of the blatant contrast between the right and left sides of her face. More specifically, the real noticeable difference was her eyes. The side of her face without makeup revealed that her eyes were actually significantly smaller than expected. I’m sure that the majority of the 5.7 million people who have viewed this video think this eye-enlarging “illusion” was done entirely with only makeup, but there are actually two other factors that went into creating this look.

The smoked-out eyeshadow and cat-eye-shaped eyeliner were definite factors that made her eyes look a lot wider, but the two extra factors that most Americans may not know about are the circle lens and double eyelid tape. Circle lens are contacts that are very popular in Asia which are essentially contact lens that have a wide, black circle that perfectly surrounds your iris. The look that it achieves is close to the eye of an anime character — wide, innocent and cartoon-like.

As for the double eyelid tape, it can give vertical dimension to her otherwise monolid eyes. Double eyelid surgery is actually quite popular in Asia, specifically in South Korea, where one in five women have had cosmetic alterations done. The surgery cuts and folds the upper eyelids to create a subtle crease above the eyes and ultimately widen the eyes. However, for those who can’t or didn’t get double eyelid surgery, they can achieve that look through slightly rounded clear pieces of cosmetic tape that give the same wide-eyed look of double eyelid surgery.

When you watch the video, don’t be fooled because she didn't achieve her look solely with makeup. I feel like many people get intimidated by the power of makeup and are quick to label it as “deceptive,” but there is definitely more to cosmetics than meets the eyes. As for criticism that goes along with the viral video, there’s a wide variety of comments that trail underneath. Some are definitely critical, while others are supportive. One thing's for sure: the power of makeup and beauty tools together are impressive.

Image: 牛男网/YouTube