Hello Chickas! I just got home from my trip to Japan, we spent close to 3 weeks sightseeing. During the trip we ate A LOT of delicious food and visited many cities in Japan. One of the things I’ve always wanted to do was dress up as a Geisha and during this trip, I finally ticked this off my list. So today’s post will be on my Geisha makeover experience in Japan.
After doing some research on the internet, I realised the makeup and clothing worn by Geishas and apprentice Geishas (Maiko) can be quite different. I chose to dress up as a Maiko since the clothing and makeup are brighter and more youthful.
I couldn’t remember exactly the makeup products that were used but the base was a thick balm made from natural ingredients. After the balm was on, the makeup artist brushed on the white & pink paint all over my face, neck, chest and back. I had two choices of the type of look I wanted, elegant or cute – I chose cute. I think the biggest difference between the two looks were in the eyes and lips.
After makeup was done, it was time for hair. Majority of the Maiko hairdo was the wig but we did use some of my own hair to clip on the front. Let me tell you..this wig was so heavy. I felt like I was carrying around a bowling ball.
Next was the kimono. There were so many different coloured kimonos to choose from. The night before, I had a look on their website for my favorite kimono and I really liked the navy blue with a bit of red. Don’t let the photos fool you, kimonos are actually fitted quite tightly. Moving around and even breathing was a bit of a struggle at the start when I wasn’t used to it.
The place I got my makeover was called AYA. I selected the luxurious package which costs 21,060 yen (~AUD $265). This included a studio shot, a courtyard shot and 4 outside location shots around Gion with a photographer. The total time it took was about 3 hours and AYA provides all the wigs, kimonos, obis, shoes and accessories.
The plan also included 30 minutes free time to walk around Gion for us to take our own photos. At the end of the session, I got a CD with all photos taken by the photographer.
My geisha makeover experience was selected and paid for myself.