Shisei-no – The Ginza’s Trial Kit 

Hey remember when air travel wasn’t such a fking nightmare (where you’re dragged shrieking out of your paid seat in front of the elderly and children) and people actually thought it was glamorous and appealing? No? Well me neither, because it was in the 1950s. Despite bathing in virgin blood to keep my youth and appearance, I can assure you I’m not old enough to remember the 1950s.

While air travel has NEVER been glamorous or appealing, I can attest that first class is well…better than the cattle class. I’m full of insight, I am. Look at this amenity kit they give out in the ANA first cabin:

Behold Shiseido’s The Ginza Skincare Line

WHAT is The Ginza you ask? I didn’t know either until I saw it at Ume Cosmetics in New York and Image Beauty in Alhambra, CA for a gabazillion dollars. We’re talking about $80 for a foaming cleanser.

The Ginza is Shiseido’s premium skin care line (if Shiseido isn’t “premium” enough for you.) It’s named after their luxurious flagship in Ginza. It’s only sold in Japan, or clever importers like the ones I mentioned above.

If you’re motivated and are bleeding money, you can purchase here.

Below is what the lotion looks like. It’s just a really good moisturizer. I’ve used one whole tube and working on the second one. I don’t see really any difference in skin texture or lines or spots. It’s a very good moisturizer in that my combination skin isn’t drier or more parched in any one area overnight. My face is evenly not-dry, but for an ultra premium moisturizer, I would expect it to do something. When I couple this with my History of Whoo night mask, I feel the firmness right away in the morning.

The toner is SUPER alcohol-smelling. Aside from that I’m not sure what it’s supposed to do. Anyone who has insight into this is welcomed to comment. This was a huge risk for me to try since there’s no English written anywhere on the labels. I’m happy I didn’t break out, but I am totally tossing this alcohol-smelling toner.

I actually love the foaming cleanser. It takes off all my (ahem…minimal) makeup in one wash, and gives me that sort of squeaky clean feel that I know some folks hate. I want my face stripped of everything before I put anything else on it. A clean surface absorbs better, non?

For the curious, here’s what the amenity kit looks like. That’s a miniature Samsonite black label hard case (I collect these awesome mini-luggages) that’s amazing for storing toiletries on the go.

Pros: nice enough moisturizer, supposedly well researched and backed by Shiseido’s magical processes

Cons: results kinda meh, especially for the exorbitant price