'Just Makeup' combines viral casting, touching narratives

When “Just Makeup” debuted on Oct. 3, few expected a reality competition centered on contour palettes and eyeliner precision to become Korea's next new obsession.

Yet within weeks, the Coupang Play original has become a bona fide cultural talking point. After Episodes 4 and 5 landed on Oct. 10, the series climbed to the No. 1 spot on the streamer’s chart, with viewership spiking a whopping 665 percent compared to its first week.

At its core, the series is simple: 60 makeup-savvy contestants from various lines of work — ranging from makeup YouTubers and drag queens to makeup artists who’ve powdered Hollywood A-listers — compete in a series of makeup challenges where brushes are their weapons.

Missions range from presenting signature looks and one-on-one matches built around numerous themes, such as Barbie or clean-girl minimalism, to large-scale projects like glamming up K-pop idols whose fanbases ultimately determine the outcome.

So why is a show built around this niche subject suddenly dominating the conversation?

The show clearly targets a core demographic: women in their teens and 20s. The focus is evident in missions tied to real K-pop acts such as TWS and StayC, as well as the YouTubers featured — figures who already dominate 20-something group chats. Names like YouTubers Shortform King, Office Worker A and Bori aren’t chosen at random; they come with built-in cultural currency and inevitably help the show become viral.

However, the show's strength is that viewers with no interest in makeup techniques can also find themselves pulled in. The artistry on display often looks more like a work on canvas than an application of daily glam, making the show feel like the art-world remix of "Culinary Class Wars."

Casting is another factor. Had it been just industry insiders competing for insider clout, the whole thing might have collapsed into monotony. Instead, the producers pulled from across the spectrum: beauty YouTubers with parasocial fan bases, theatrical makeup artists, and makeup artists from global brands such as MAC and Nars. The result is a cross-pollination of styles that makes the show not just a makeup skill competition but a spectacle to watch.

Part of this may come down to editing and direction. The show is engineered with the distinct flair of the production team behind "Culinary Class Wars." This is especially visible in the narrative strategy of "Just Makeup," which mirrors the popular cooking show's formula: the editing weaves micronarratives together, grouping contestants into storylines that span male makeup artist rivalries to mentor-mentee clashes.

The competition is as much about personal stories and professional philosophies as it is about the glam of powder and pigment.

Still, no show is flawless. The endless cliffhangers, while effective, can also feel manipulative. Viewers are frequently left dangling mid-episode, sometimes to diminishing returns. And because the core format cycles through “apply makeup, receive critique, repeat,” binge-watching can eventually blur into fatigue.

Still, “Just Makeup” has managed to turn a niche subject into one of Korea's mainstream reality competitions. Though Coupang Play has made the show available overseas via Amazon Prime Video, it has yet to gain significant global traction. Had it premiered on Netflix, it might already be enjoying broader international visibility.