00:00Hey guys, it's Mian Chan, Beauty Writer at Refinery29, and today I am getting a bird poop facial.
00:07Actually, it's sh**.
00:09Now before you freak out, hear me out, I'm going to an actual spa, it's called Shizuka in New York,
00:15and I'm going to get the geisha facial there.
00:17Do I look scary?
00:18The technique originated in ancient Japan when 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, but it was also doing a serious number on their face.
00:31So the geishas and kabuki theater actors did what any normal person would do.
00:36They took nightingale poop and they put it on their face.
00:39And then they realized that it can clear up and brighten your complexion.
00:43Who would have thought?
00:44Is this even safe?
00:45I asked my good friend Dr. Joshua Zeichner of Mount Sinai Dermatology to clear the air.
00:50According to him, the bird poop facial is 100% safe.
00:54Why? Because the bird poop is passed under a UV light, which sanitizes it.
00:59The poop is also rich in urea, which is an ingredient found in a lot of moisturizers.
01:03It's also found in pee.
01:05It's also rich in guanine, which is an amino acid that helps give the skin a shimmery, luminous quality.
01:11It's safe to say my interest has certainly peaked.
01:13I've decided to bring my friend Sonia Essman along with me to try it out.
01:17Let's get this sh** started.
01:18I'm not good at winking, like for real.
01:22I am here with Sonia Essman, actor, model, creator of Classes Internal, so true multi-hyphenate.
01:29I've had two birds in my life, so I'm like used to handling bird crap, so.
01:33You're just like, this is just another day for me.
01:35You're just like, this is just another day for me.
01:38All right, wipes.
01:41That might 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.
01:56It's like an operation.
01:58It's so soft.
02:01I 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, a 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, like a dry and then the oily.
02:20Yeah.
02:21The next thing she did was cleanse my skin to 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?
02:39Yes.
02:40That's so cool.
02:42What do you think is the most important thing that, you know, 20 year olds can do to keep their
02:49skin 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 that 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 and toners and masks she puts on
03:12my 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.
03:28The bird poop smells good.
03:30It's good.
03:31Good to know.
03:32Good to hear.
03:33And 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, which I will say is the highlight of this facial.
03:50Shizuka's hands are like magic.
03:55She used camellia oil and lavender oil.
03:58I was in Thailand once and there was a lady that instead 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 to be completely honest.
04:30Shizuka cut little eye, nose and mouth slips into it, put it on my face, wet it, and that became
04:35the mask.
04:36It feels very interesting.
04:38I've never felt a mask like this before.
04:41And it 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 and Shizuka's expertise made that facial a really
05:05enjoyable experience.
05:09Are you finished?
05:10Voila.
05:10Oh, I'm sleepy now.
05:13Before I went into the facial, my skin felt really dry and irritated.
05:18I had just been sick.
05:19And after I left, my skin felt really hydrated and exfoliated and brighter, which 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, like scarring or like
05:38rosacea or sensitivity.
05:42But it was cool.
05:44Maybe it's Maybelline, maybe it's bird poop.
05:46So I know that not everyone can splash out for a $180 facial, so I thought that I would show
05:52you guys some products that you can use at home to get a similar effect.
05:56This is the Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant.
05:58It 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 and apply it to your face.
06:09It's going to exfoliate your skin and it has a bunch of charcoals and clays in it, so it's going
06:14to 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, and this is
06:23right 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, but it's by Biosense.
06:31It's the squalane and rose oil.
06:34Try these out and let me know what you think.
06:36Leave the birds alone!
06:38You never seen the lead bring me alone baby?
06:40Now I get it, now I get it.
