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Watch as Refinery29's beauty writer Mi-Anne Chan gets the Geisha Facial treatment at New York's Shizuka, it's main ingredient being bird poop. Yep. You read that right.

Geishas were well-known for their porcelain complexion, but it came at a cost as the zinc in their face powder would cause chronic skin problems. The use of nightingale poop facials would remove the excess makeup and help to brighten and heal their skin. This traditional beauty treatment is now being used today to garner the same results. Shizuka spa ends each facial with a hydrating green tea collagen mask.

Mi-Anne brought along model Sonya Esman to experience the whole process and determine whether or not bird poop really does give you great skin! Watch to see the before and after results on this episode of 'Beauty With Mi.'

WANT A BIRD POOP FACIAL?
Shizuka New York Day Spa http://bit.ly/2lwjdNu

ABOUT SERIES
Explore the craziest trends, most unique treatments, newest products, and strangest subcultures in the beauty world alongside Refinery29’s very own beauty writer, Mi-Anne Chan. We dare to find and try the fringes of beauty — for better or worse.

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Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/

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TALENT
Follow Mi-Anne on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mianne.chan
Follow Sonya Esman on Instagram: https://instagram.com/sonyaesman

Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified "guanine," as an amino acid rather than a nitrogenous base. We regret the error. http://www.refinery29.com/shizuka-geisha-bird-poop-facial-review
Transcript
00:00Hey guys, it's Mian Chan,
00:01BD Reddit at Refinery29,
00:02and today I am getting a bird poop facial.
00:07Actually, it's .
00:09Now, before you freak out, hear me out.
00:12I'm going to an actual spa.
00:13It's called Shizuka in New York,
00:15and I'm going to get the geisha facial there.
00:17That looks scary.
00:18The technique originated in ancient Japan
00:20when geishas and kabuki theater actors
00:23were using a bunch of lead and zinc-filled makeup.
00:25So not only was the makeup poisoning their bodies,
00:28but it was also doing a serious number on their face.
00:31So, the geishas and kabuki theater actors
00:34did what any normal person would do.
00:36They took nightingale poop,
00:38and they put it on their face.
00:39And then they realized that it can clear up
00:42and brighten your complexion.
00:43Who would have thought?
00:44Is this even safe?
00:45I asked my good friend Dr. Joshua Zeichner
00:47of Mount Sinai Dermatology to clear the air.
00:50According to him, the bird poop facial is 100% safe.
00:54Why?
00:54Because the bird poop is passed under a UV light,
00:57which sanitizes it.
00:59The poop is also rich in urea,
01:01which is an ingredient found in a lot of moisturizers.
01:03It's also found in pee.
01:05It's also rich in guanine,
01:07which is an amino acid that helps give the skin
01:09a shimmery, luminous quality.
01:11It's safe to say my interest has certainly peaked.
01:13I've decided to bring my friend Sonia Essman
01:15along with me to try it out.
01:17Let's get this shit started.
01:18I'm not good at winking, like for real.
01:21I am here with Sonia Essman, actor, model,
01:26creator of Classes Internal.
01:28So true multi-hanging.
01:29I've had two birds in my life,
01:31so I'm like used to handling bird crap.
01:33So you're just like,
01:33this is just another day for me.
01:38All right.
01:39Wipes.
01:41It's going to take a while.
01:43I know, I have a lot to put on right there.
01:46Can I keep my eyebrows on?
01:48I'm 100% keeping my eyebrows on.
01:55It's like an operation.
01:58It's so soft.
02:00I want to sleep.
02:04So the first thing Shizuka did was analyze my skin.
02:07And let me say she was dead on.
02:10She said my skin was combination oily,
02:12a little bit dry, a little bit oily in my T-zone,
02:14and that is exactly what it is.
02:16Yeah, it's like a combination skin,
02:18like a dry and then the oily.
02:20Yeah.
02:21The next thing she did was cleanse my skin
02:24to get rid of any debris or oil or makeup
02:26that would hinder whatever product she puts on top of my skin after.
02:32Do you make a lot of the products yourself?
02:35Yes, in Japan.
02:37You go to Japan to do it?
02:39Uh, yes.
02:40That's so cool.
02:42What do you think is the most important thing that,
02:46you know, 20-year-olds can do to keep their skin in good shape?
02:50Cleanse your skin very well.
02:52Don't sleep with the makeup.
02:54Yes, that's bad.
02:56Yeah, it's really bad.
02:57Then she used a hot towel and this weird machine
03:00that blew steam directly onto my face.
03:03It was a little bit hard to breathe.
03:05It was basically to prep my skin for any oils and bird poop
03:09and toners and masks she puts on my face afterward.
03:14Then we came to the main event, the bird poop.
03:19The bird poop comes in this weird little powder that was mixed with rice bran.
03:23So she mixes it with water and then she brushes it all over my face.
03:32And then she kind of exfoliated and massaged my face.
03:36It actually feels really good.
03:38Shizuka is an amazing facial massager.
03:43Next, she massaged my face even more,
03:46which I will say is the highlight of this facial.
03:50Shizuka's hands are like magic.
03:54She used camellia oil and lavender oil.
03:58I was in Thailand once and there was a lady that,
04:03instead of what you're doing, you're massaging the skin,
04:07she would slap your face until you were red and in pain.
04:11And she said it was supposed to make you beautiful.
04:15And then she moved on to a collagen mask, which was dry.
04:20It was so weird.
04:21Like I was more weirded out by this dry mask than I was the bird poop,
04:26to be completely honest.
04:30Shizuka cut little eye, nose and mouth slips into it,
04:33put it on my face, wet it, and that became the mask.
04:36It feels very interesting.
04:38I've never felt a mask like this before.
04:41It was really cool.
04:42I want to kiss someone in this mask.
04:46The big question is, do I think that bird poop is a shit?
04:51No.
04:52I don't think that the bird poop element of the facial was the best part.
04:57I think that the entire facial with the massage and the products
05:01and Shizuka's expertise made that facial a really enjoyable experience.
05:08Are you finished?
05:10Voila.
05:10Oh, I'm sleepy now.
05:13Before I went into the facial, my skin felt really dry and irritated.
05:17I had just been sick.
05:19And after I left, my skin felt really hydrated and exfoliated and brighter,
05:24which is always a good thing.
05:26Functionality wise, I prefer things like laser facials just because that's my skin type.
05:31I didn't necessarily need any of the things that she was offering for my skin problems,
05:36like scarring or rosacea sensitivity, but it was cool.
05:44Maybe it's Maybelline, maybe it's bird poop.
05:47So I know that not everyone can splash out for a $180 facial, so I thought that I would show
05:52you
05:52guys some products that you can use at home to get a similar effect.
05:56This is the Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant.
05:59It has a really similar texture to the bird poop and rice bran mixture that Shizuka used on my face.
06:04You put it on your hand when you're in the shower or in front of the sink, mix it with
06:08water,
06:08and apply it to your face.
06:09It's going to exfoliate your skin, and it has a bunch of charcoals and clays in it,
06:13so it's going to help draw out any oil or dirt on your skin.
06:17Next, one of the highlights of Shizuka's treatment were the oils and the facial massage she used.
06:23And this is right now my favorite oil.
06:25I'm sorry that this isn't a lab sample, but the product is readily available.
06:29We'll leave links below.
06:30But it's by Biosense.
06:31It's the squalane and rose oil.
06:34Try these out and let me know what you think.
06:36Also, let me know in the comments below what you want me to try next.
06:39Leave the birds alone!
06:41You've never seen the Leave Bring Me Alone video?
06:43Now I get it, now I get it.
06:45Hey guys, thank you for watching.
06:47Click here to watch more videos and click here to subscribe.
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