hey guys! it’s mi-anne chan, beauty editor at refinery29 and today i’m getting a bird poop facial. actually. it’s shit. now before you freak out, hear me out. i’m going to an actual spa, it’s called shizuka in new york and i’m going to get the geisha facial there. do i look scary? the technique originated in ancient japan when geishas and kabuki theatre actors
were using a bunch of lead and zinc filled makeup. so not only was the makeup poisoning their bodies, but it was also doing a serious number on their face. so, the geishas and kabuki theatre actors did what any normal person would do. they took nightingale poop and put it on their face and then they realized it can clear up and brighten your complexion. who would have thought? is this even safe? i asked my good friend dr. joshua zeichner of mount sinai dermatology to clear the air.
according to him, the bird poop facial is 100% safe. why? because the bird poop is passed under a uv light which sanitizes it. the poop is also rich in urea which is an ingredient found in a lot of moisturizes. it’s also found in pee. it’s also rich in guanine which is an amino acid that helps give the skin like a shimmery, luminous quality. it’s safe to say my interest is certainly peaked. i’ve decided to bring my friend sonya esman along with me to try it out.
let’s get this shit started. i’m not good at winking, like for real. i am here with sonya esman, actor, model, creator of classis internal so true multi-hyphenate. i’ve had two birds in my life so i’m used to handling bird crap so… you’re just like, “this is just another day for me.†alright, wipes. thank you. this might take awhile. gotta have a clean slate.
i know, i have a lot of makeup on right now. can i keep my eyebrows on? i’m 100% keeping my eyebrows on. it’s like an operation. it’s so soft! i want to sleep. so the first thing shizuka did was analyze my skin and let me say, she was dead on. she said my skin was combination oily, a little bit dry, a little bit oily in my t-zone and that is exactly what it is.
yeah it’s like a combination skin, like a dry and then the oily. yeah. the next thing she did was cleanse my skin to get rid of any debris or oil or makeup that would hinder whatever product she puts on top of my skin after. do you make a lot of the products yourself? yes, in japan. you go to japan to do it? uh, yes. that’s so cool!
what do you think is the most important thing that, you know, 20 year olds can do to keep their skin in good shape? cleanse your skin very well. don’t sleep with the makeup on. yes, that’s bad. yeah, it’s really bad. then she used a hot towel and this weird machine that blew steam directly onto my face. it was a little bit hard to breathe. it was basically to prep my skin for any oils and bird poop and toners and masks she puts
on my face afterward. then we came to the main event. the bird poop. the bird poop comes in this weird little powder that was mixed with rice bran. so she mixes it with water and then she brushes it all over my face. the bird poop smells good. that’s good, good to know. good to hear. and then she kind of exfoliated and massaged my face.
it actually feels really good. shizuka is an amazing facial massager. next, she massaged my face even more which i will say is the highlight of this facial. shizuka’s hands are like magic. she used camellia oil and lavender oil. i was in thailand once and there was a lady that, instead of what you’re doing, you’re massaging the skin, she would slap your face until you were red and in pain and she said it was supposed to make you beautiful.
and then she moved onto a collagen mask which was dry. it was so weird! like i was more weirded out by this dry mask than i was the bird poop, to be completely honest. shizuka cut a little eye, nose, and mouth slits into it, put it on my face, wet it, and that became the mask. it feels very interesting. i’ve never felt a mask like this before. it was really cool.
i want to kiss someone in this mask. the big question is: do i think that bird poop is the shit? no. i don’t think that the bird poop element of the facial was the best part. i think that the entire facial, with the massage and the products, and shizuka’s expertise made that facial a really enjoyable experience. finished. voila. ugh, i’m sleepy now.
before i went into the facial, my skin felt really dry and irritated. i had just been sick. and after i left, my skin felt really hydrated and exfoliated and brighter which is always a good thing. functionality wise, i prefer things like laser facials just because that’s my skin type. i didn’t necessarily need any of the thingsthat she was offering for my skin problems like scarring or like, rosacea or sensitivity. but... it was cool.
maybe it’s maybelline, maybe it’s bird poop. so i know that not everyone can splash out for a $180 facial, so i thought that i would show you guys some products you can use at home to get a similar effect. this is the dermalogica daily superfoliant. it has a really similar texture to the birdpoop and rice bran mixture that shizuka used on my face. you put it on your hand when you’re in theshower or in front of the sink. mix it with water and apply it to your face. it’s gonna exfoliate your skin and it hasa bunch of charcoals and clays so it’s gonna
help draw out any oil or dirt on your skin. next, one of the highlights of shizuka’streatment were the oils and the facial massage she used. this is, right now, my favorite oil. i’m sorry that this is a lab sample but the product is readily available, we’ll leave the links below. but it’s by biossance. it’s the squalane and rose oil. try these out.
and let me know what you think. also, let me know in the comments below what you want me to try next. leave the birds alone! you’ve never seen the “leave britney alone†video? producer: now i get it. now i get it. hey guys, thank you for watching. click here to watch more videos and click here to subscribe.
