Bioré Singapore recently invited members from a geisha troupe in Kyoto to give a special performance in Singapore.
The occasion? To celebrate the brand’s trio of makeup removers: Bioré Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets, Hydra-Clear Makeup Remover and Makeup Remover for Eye & Lip (the same ones I’d received in their post-party savers box).
The geisha performance was quite an eye-opener – though I am no dance art connoisseur, the ritualistic solemnity of their languid moves paired with the sonorous music was quite telling of the discipline required for such performances.
Here are some beauty tidbits I learnt at the event:
- Geishas use an oily makeup base.
- They apply white face paint with an Itahake makeup brush in an upward motion.
- They leave exposed skin in a ‘w’ or ‘v’ shape at the nape for sensuality.
- They use a sponge to absorb the excess moisture of the paint.
- A gentle red on the brows and eyes connotes femininity and heightens radiance against the white of their skin.
- They finish off by painting a small red flower bud on only a small part of their lips to mimic a perpetual smile. Maikos (apprentice geishas) paint only a small portion of their lower lip in their first year of training; their upper lip is left white.
- One of the functional reasons for the whiteness of visage is that white reflects light, which is particularly helpful to them when they go out at night and flickering candle light can pick up their colour, making them more visible.
A senior geisha actually demonstrated the swift removal of the thick makeup on her young charge’s face, using the Bioré products. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the demonstration (photo-taking was not allowed due to cultural sensitivities). Believe me, though, when I tell you that the makeup was easily taken off with only a few cotton pads. An impressive feature of Hydra-Clear is that it leaves no residue once washed/cleaned off – the staff proved this with blotting sheets that detected no oil at all!
Here I am with two of the lovely geishas, as well as Sesame, who was also at the event. I hadn’t seen her since the Anna Sui Christmas 2010 preview, so I had a lovely time catching up with her. :)
Image source: Bioré Singapore
