What the makeup removal trend was
The pictures in this collection come from a wave of short videos that went viral in China in mid-2018. Instead of the usual before-and-after tutorial, creators filmed an "after-and-before": they start fully styled, then peel off face tape, pull away a moulded nose bridge, take off false eyelashes and wigs, and wipe away foundation until their everyday face appears. Most of the frames carry the watermark of Douyin, the Chinese short-video app launched by ByteDance in September 2016 (its international sister app is TikTok), and one shows the logo of the rival app Kuaishou.
Western sites picked the trend up in July 2018, calling it a "makeup removal challenge". The idea was not completely new: British YouTuber Sophia Mitchell had promoted a challenge with a similar name in 2016, encouraging viewers to film themselves taking their makeup off. The Chinese version stood out because of how far the styling went, using tools borrowed from theatre and cosplay as much as from everyday cosmetics.
The tools behind the transformations
Several techniques appear again and again in the clips:
- Face-lift tape: thin transparent strips stuck near the temples or jaw and pulled tight, often hidden under hair. They lift the cheeks and make the face look narrower and more V-shaped.
- Nose prosthetics: a moulded or putty-like nose bridge, blended in with foundation, makes the nose look higher and slimmer. Peeling it off is the big reveal in many clips.
- False lashes and eyelid tape: these enlarge the eyes and create a double eyelid crease.
- Wigs and accessories: pastel wigs, flower crowns, bridal veils and hanfu-style costumes change the whole impression before any makeup is involved.
- Contour and base: heavy, pale foundation and contour shade the nose and jawline.
Lighting, beauty filters and camera angle also matter. Many of these apps offer built-in smoothing filters, so the styled frame may be digitally enhanced as well.
The 21 transformations
Each image below is a strip of three frames from one video: the fully styled look, the moment of removal, and the bare face. The women in these clips posted them themselves, as a joke at their own expense, so they are shown here with respect rather than mockery.
A veiled bridal look, with the second frame showing a moulded nose piece being lifted away. Bridal styling was a popular starting point because it combines a veil, hair ornaments and full makeup.
The Douyin watermark is visible in the corner as a nose bridge is peeled off with tweezers. In the final frame, the creator laughs at the reveal, which was part of the appeal of these clips.
Floral hair pieces and bold red lips, then a cotton pad and a hand removing the nose contour. The last frame swaps the updo for loose, shorter hair, showing that a wig was part of the look.
Transparent tape is visible at the edges of the face in the middle frame. Removing it lets the cheeks settle and changes the shape of the jawline.
An elf costume with pointed prosthetic ears, a peach wig and a flower crown. Without the costume, the face is the same person in an ordinary off-shoulder top.
A classical Chinese hairstyle with ornate pins and a hanfu-style robe, then a cotton pad removing heavy eye makeup. It shows how much historical costume styling contributes before any cosmetic trickery.
Doll-like makeup with rosy cheeks and fringe, followed by a long braid and a bare face. The wig and the drawn-on blush do most of the work here.
Tape strips are pulled from both sides of the face in the middle frame. This is the classic "face-lift tape" move that gave the trend its jaw-dropping moments.
A short green wig, dark lipstick and large gold earrings, then a nose piece removed in front of the camera. The final frame shows a natural brown bob.
The middle frame shows cotton pads held over both eyes to remove lashes and eye makeup together. Large false lashes are one of the biggest single changes in the styled look.
A pink wig and a rainbow flower crown with a pulled tape strip at the jaw. Without them, the creator's face looks rounder and younger.
The same bridal veil setup as the first image, possibly from the same creator, with the nose piece removed in the middle frame. The final frame even shows a casual sports top.
This clip carries the Kuaishou logo, a rival short-video app. False lashes come off in the middle frame, leaving a pale base of foundation in the last.
Filmed in a car, with a tiara and pearl earrings. A make-up wipe on one eye shows how much eyeliner and lashes changed the eye shape.
A lilac bob wig and big contact-lens eyes, then the lashes and wig come off. The bare face in the last frame has noticeably smaller-looking eyes, showing how much lashes and lenses enlarge them.
Instead of adding glamour, this creator starts with a neat look and removes it step by step with cotton pads. The last frame shows the cleansing still in progress.
Strong brows and a headband, with the creator lifting off part of the eye makeup. The before and after are closer than in most clips, which shows how varied the trend was.
Thick fringe and lashes, then tape pulled from both sides of the face. In the last frame the creator rests her face in her hands, a common pose at the end of these videos.
Multicoloured hair extensions and a tape lift reveal a fuller face in the last frame. The coloured streaks turn out to be clip-in extensions over darker natural hair.
A rainbow wig and painted brows, followed by the reveal with hands on cheeks. Strong colour in the hair draws attention away from the face, which is part of the trick.
A grey wig, star lights in the background and a nose piece removed with tweezers. A cotton pad clears the lipstick in the final frame.
(The video originally embedded here is no longer available on YouTube.)
What these videos say about beauty online
The clips are funny because they expose how much work can go into a single social-media portrait. They also make a serious point: many idealised faces online are built from tape, prosthetics, lighting and filters, not just from the person underneath. Because the creators chose to show the reveal themselves, the joke is on the illusion rather than on anyone's natural face.
If you try any of these techniques, use products made for skin, test adhesives on a small patch first and remove tape and prosthetics gently. If a product causes redness, swelling or a rash, stop using it and talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
Where the clips came from
The frames were compiled from videos shared by the Facebook page Es China, the YouTube channel Amazing hairstyles and a YouTube compilation. The original creators posted on Douyin and Kuaishou, and their account IDs are visible in the watermarks.
Sources: What's Trending: The makeup removal challenge (July 2018); Wikipedia: TikTok and Douyin.
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