The Makeup Remover

Description

After years of being told to focus on studying, Yeseul feels lost when she starts college and is suddenly expected to pay attention to makeup. When a chance encounter with brilliant makeup artist Yuseong leads to her taking part in a televised makeup competition, Yeseul begins to question the role that makeup and appearance play in society.

Original Webtoon:
Naver Webtoon, Naver Series

Official Translations:
English, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, S.Chinese, Thai, T.Chinese, Indonesian

Type

Manhwa

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

Des/maquíllame

Hwajang Jiwojuneun Namja

Make-up Entferner

Make-up Man

The Man Who Cleans Up Makeup

ตกหลุมรัก นายช่างแต่งหน้า

化粧 지워주는 男子

化粧を落としてくれる男子

平凡女孩改造計畫

逆袭女王的男人

화장 지워주는 남자

Groups Scanlating

LINE Webtoon

Webtoonlations

Latest Release(s)

c.129 by LINE Webtoon 4 years ago

c.128 by LINE Webtoon 4 years ago

c.127 by LINE Webtoon 4 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

127 Chapters + 2 Side Story + Review (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

N/A

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

0 topics, 0 posts

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User Rating

Average: 7.9 / 10.0 (131 votes)

Bayesian Average: 7.6 / 10.0

21%

17%

29%

21%

Last Updated

December 4th, 2025 10:42am PST - 1 week ago

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Genre

Comedy Drama School Life Shoujo Slice of Life
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Dazzled By You

Secret Friend (Lee Bam-ae)

Sperman

The Build Up

Dolled Up

Recommendations

N/A

Author(s)

Lee Yeon

Artist(s)

Lee Yeon

Year

2018

Original Publisher

C&C Revolution

Naver

Serialized In (magazine)

Naver Webtoon (Naver)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

INKLORE (Print, 2025)

LINE Webtoon (Digital, Complete)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #702

(+8)

Monthly Pos #1836 (No change)

3 Month Pos #3400

(-153)

6 Month Pos #4046

(-597)

Year Pos #4807

(-1432)

List Stats

On 376 reading lists

On 168 wish lists

On 245 completed lists

On 25 unfinished lists

On 180 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

User Comments [ Order by time added ]

Good read, thought provoking for women

by theabbster1
6 years ago

Rating: N/A

I really like this webtoon because I often think about makeup and it’s power. I think it is possible to wear makeup purely for yourself, but usually it’s for other people. I know I look better with makeup but I feel worse with it on. (Mascara is uncomfortable etc.) I feel like makeup is a trap because if you start wearing it you feel like you’re not as pretty as you could be when you stop wearing it. It took a while but I’ve stopped wearing makeup and have learned to appreciate my face even without enhancement (plus it’s too much work). Anyways, this webtoon covers a lot about self-esteem and appearance and I appreciate that.
Also, I learned some stuff from this webtoon too about makeup!

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Funny

by theLettuceGarden04
7 years ago

Rating: N/A

I kinda judged the book by its cover and thought this is just another makeover story, but boy I was wrong. This is pretty much like a gag type comedy with a funny female lead that wants to change her "ugly" appearance. The male lead is not just some sparkly, handsome guy, he's just as funny as the female lead too.

when the male lead removes his makeup, XDDD. I really wanna see his real face too Definitely has a lot of potential, hope it still retains its humor as the plot thickens.

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Disappointed at the romance part

by Syrina
4 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

I read this on webtoon, because it was advertised at romance.

The manhwa itself is a lot about self-doubts and breaking free of the “there is only one way to be pretty” prejudice. This is a heavy topic and I enjoyed reading it!

HOWEVER, they left the impression that this was a romance manwha, which i can’t really agree with. I’d more say it’s drama or slice of life with a bit of side-romance.

The most furious thing about this whole romance though is the following:

yes we get to see some romance. MC with her abusing Ex. Which she thankfully breaks up later.
Then we have a few super fluffy moments with Yuseong, who even confesses to her….

But we never get to see either her answer nor if they ended up together.

So, story itself was super fine but if you’re going in with wanting to read some fluffy resolved romance, you’re wrong here unfortunately.

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Author continues to be a huge hit with social commentary

by Shygirlz
4 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I actually checked out this manga after having read the author’s other series - Surviving Romance. That one’s mild horror whereas this one was comedy shoujo so I was interested in how they’d pull this off, but was excited because I love my romances.

Well, the author did not disappoint! An earlier work of theirs (Miss Guillotine) was heavy-hitting on social commentary, and similarly this one delves deep into what role makeup and being pretty has in society. It makes me really reflect on why I’d like to be pretty, and also the ingrained responses I have when it comes to what and how I think about beauty.

The characters are all human with complex feelings, and the author does a wonderful job of portraying the different sides, motives, and thoughts of a person. A hallmark of this is the maturity the main characters of this story have - they’re not perfect and they do falter, but in the end they stand with their own strength and have a good head on their shoulders. These are good and healthy role models for men and women in real life. That the author was able to include so many characters into this story, and for all those characters to be given screen time and for their own struggles and goals to be spotlighted as well really speaks to how well written this story is as a whole.

The setting of a makeup competition TV show makes for very pretty and very unique looks, too. I’ve talked about the story but the art is also very good and really helps enhance the story that’s being told.

While the main focus is definitely on the topic of makeup and beauty, the struggles and inequality that women face are included as well, because those problems don’t exist in a vacuum and are intertwined. The portrayal of different romantic relationship dynamics is another focus, and we see both healthy friendships and healthy relationships, as well as unhealthy ones.

I think it’s so important to see all these dynamics and situations played out in a work of fiction. We see different, but just as healthy relationships. We see mature responses. We see how this man treats her against how that man treats her, when both say they like her. We see situations women in real life face, and can take comfort in knowing we aren’t alone in facing those and that they are real problems. And we see a main character who can be weak and insecure, who faces letdowns and doesn’t always make the right judgments when her feelings come into play - yet she is still a strong, growing individual and someone who is admired and loved.

I will say that for all that it gets right, this isn’t exactly a very realistic story. I mean, at the end this is still a Cinderella story. The whole regular nobody but can suddenly model with the best of amateurs bit isn’t covered, for example, and you won’t see details like that accounted for in this story. While I’ve waxed poetic about the social commentary in the end this is still a shoujo manga and not a thesis so certainly not every nuance is explored. In my opinion though, the story has the right amount of lighthearted, romantic, and serious moments.

Definitely one to check out, and if you like this I’d recommend the author’s other works, too (though the rest are a bit darker in theme).

... Last updated 4 years ago

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How incredible is this...

by glowtoads
4 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I can't believe I passed this up so many times because I thought it was another Cinderella story. This has been such an entertaining read! It's been so refreshing, and I have cried at the heart and love that shows through this! The discussion of beauty is nuanced and finally, FINALLY thinks about the impact of capitalism and patriarchy on "aesthetics". It's so, so clever to have so many types of art being discussed here, from photography to makeup to music. And I am continually delighted by how generous this story is to women -- nobody is stupid for wanting to wear makeup, to look pretty, and nobody is superior for going bare-faced. Even when something looks like a tropey, misogynistic catfight, we get to see so much more about everyone involved. Heewon's development is particularly fascinating; I'm grateful that she isn't the villain, even when she is. I think the author really cares about women, and I can feel that respect throughout this story. Also it's really, REALLY funny. I can't recommend this enough.

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lots of good exploration of social norms etc

by godfrey
4 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

this manhwa uses the ugly duckling makeover/beauty show setting to make some pretty great observations about how badly society handles nonconformity in sexuality, gender roles, power dynamics, and more. it's funny, informative, and compelling.

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Spoiler-Included Review

by evehealy
4 years ago

Rating: N/A

Full Review With Spoilers

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fun!!

by SunshineRomance
8 months ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

This comic was really sweet, I feel like everyone really had a personality and wasn't just a villain for the sake of getting in the main character's way. I enjoyed a lot of the 'girls supporting girls' elements, and I think they handled the self-image topics really well.

I also think the competition format was just really fun! It really was almost like watching a TV drama. I enjoyed it a lot.

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Cute

by MangaGirl1999
2 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

N/A

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Overrated

by ekushay
3 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

Not sure why this webtoon had so many likes. Yes, it's good, but there's a "but". Great concept, and the competition was interesting enough throughout. But I only liked this one aspect of the story. Everything else seemed flat. The characters and their lives are very one dimensional, and the story was very "obvious". The storytelling itself was done in a dry manner -- providing cookie-cutter explanation of "the public opinion", for example.

There is also something quite wrong with the last episode. For some reason, it feels like the art and the pacing was different, and by different, I mean it sucks 🌝... The spin-off chapters themselves were fine, yet it was only the last chapter that was off. I wonder if the author drew this from the very beginning, so that there is some disconnection. Idk, but nobody liked it.

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