30-Year-Old Cosmetics and Cooking Oil: The 'Masked Couple' Wife's Bizarre Routine

The story of the so-called 'Masked Couple,' who hide deep wounds behind glamorous appearances, has drawn intense attention from viewers. In particular, interest has focused on the wife's unique lifestyle, as she revealed that she has not removed her makeup for decades, continues to use cosmetics from 30 years ago, and even cleanses her makeup using cooking oil.

In the episode of MBC's 'Oh Eun-young's Report Marriage Hell' broadcast on the 31st of last month, a couple appeared who, contrary to their outwardly glamorous appearance, live with significant internal scars. The production team introduced them as the 'Masked Couple.' The most striking part of their daily life was the wife's makeup habits.

The wife appeared with heavy makeup even at 3:00 AM. She revealed that she usually wakes up between 2:30 AM and 3:00 AM, rather than in the morning, to begin applying her makeup. This suggests that makeup occupies a significant portion of her daily life, going beyond the mere concept of preparing to go out.

She stated, “Once I removed my makeup and went to sleep, I felt as if my soul was leaving my body,” and explained that she has not removed her makeup for decades since then. This suggests that she views makeup not as a simple beauty act, but as a kind of shield to maintain her identity and psychological stability.

In fact, according to the husband's explanation, the wife is still keeping and using cosmetics that she used as far back as 34 years ago. While it is common for modern cosmetics to strictly manage expiration dates and periods after opening, it was revealed that the wife has continuously used old cosmetics in her own way.

Even more surprising was her cleansing method. The husband explained that the wife removes her makeup using cooking oil. To this, the wife claimed that using cooking oil cleans the makeup off neatly and keeps her skin smooth. He explained that this method has been her personal lifestyle for over 30 years.

However, the long-term use of cosmetics or unprofessional cleansing methods requires caution in terms of skin health. In particular, old cosmetics may have a higher possibility of microbial contamination as preservatives fail to function properly, and cooking oil can cause irritation or pore-related issues depending on skin type or product ingredients, making it far from a method recommended by general skincare practices.

Nevertheless, makeup seems to hold a meaning for the wife that goes beyond simply decorating her skin. The expression “I felt as if my soul was leaving my body when I removed my makeup” implies a strong obsession with the image she has built and her psychological security rather than a desire to maintain her appearance. As the title of the program suggests, the 'mask' can be a face shown to others while simultaneously serving as a defense mechanism to hide one's wounds.

The wife's profession and living environment were also revealed during the broadcast. Appearing in military-style clothing, she took the wheel of a dump truck. It was explained that she has been driving a dump truck for 28 years.

The wife mentioned her husband's arm injury as the reason she started this work. She stated that she took over the job after her husband injured his arm, and currently, the couple drives the truck together. The somewhat heterogeneous images of a glamorous appearance and heavy equipment driving exist simultaneously within one person's life.

In particular, this couple's story is noteworthy in terms of the gap between outward appearance and actual life. While the wife applies makeup from the early morning and insists on using old cosmetics, she has also driven large dump trucks in a harsh working environment for a long time. This shows the reality that it is difficult to define a person solely by their appearance or first impression.

'Marriage Hell' has approached marital conflicts not by consuming them as simple personality differences or arguments, but by looking into each person's growth process, psychological wounds, and relationship dynamics. For this 'Masked Couple' as well, the key viewing point is expected to be not the unique behavior itself, but why such behavior has persisted for a long time and what meaning it holds in the marital relationship.

Makeup is originally an act of hiding or changing one's face, but it is also an act of choosing the image one desires and presenting it to the world. For the wife, who has accepted makeup as a part of her life for over 30 years, whether it is a choice for beauty or a kind of psychological device to endure wounds and anxiety is expected to be revealed more specifically through the broadcast.

This is why experts point out the need to view the conflict of the 'Masked Couple' within a psychological context, rather than as mere eccentricity or a marital spat, behind the contrasting life scenes of a glamorous face, 30-year-old cosmetics, cooking oil cleansing, and 28 years of driving dump trucks.