Kao Beauty Research & Creation Center (hereafter Kao BRCC) held beauty workshops for the staff of Shangri-La Tokyo over three days: July 22 and 27 and August 4, 2026.
Under the theme of grooming as "the first step of hospitality" expected of hotel staff, the workshop offered a practical program on skin preparation and makeup that conveys the importance of first impressions and embodies the brand image.
Kao BRCC supports the grooming of Shangri-La Tokyo staff
Kao BRCC is a group of beauty specialists within the cosmetics business of Kao Corporation. Based on scientific evidence, consumer research and beauty trends, it develops beauty information and technologies.
Drawing on the beauty knowledge it has built up over many years, it also carries out awareness activities that help each person enjoy beauty in their own way.
Shangri-La Tokyo, which upholds first-class quality in the field, places importance on the "daily condition" of each staff member. This workshop was realized to help hotel staff acquire skin preparation and makeup that serve as a "switch" for adjusting their daily condition and shifting into work mode.
To support the formal and refined grooming the hotel aims for from the beauty side, Kao BRCC's extensive beauty knowledge and technology were used. While respecting each person's skin condition, the program supported proposing and learning skin preparation and makeup suited to hotel staff.
A hands-on program for learning a formal and clean impression
In the training, the keywords that Shangri-La Tokyo values, "formal," "clean" and "refined," were used to explain grooming that gives guests a sense of reassurance and trust. Practical exercises followed.
According to participants' needs, grooming points, skin preparation including skincare and base makeup, and makeup techniques for eyebrows and lips were introduced with hands-on practice.
Makeup techniques that look good even under the warm-toned lighting of a hotel, and points for creating a natural, clean impression, were also shared.
Attention was also paid to the impression of the hands, which guests often see while being served, and a self hand-care session using hand cream was held. By taking care of the fingertips and nails, participants reportedly experienced the importance of grooming as hotel staff who care about every detail.
Participants checked their own grooming themselves and experienced professional grooming through the exercises. This deepened skills that lead to better service quality.
Professional insights and participants' voices
Tomomi Igarashi, a makeup artist at Kao BRCC, said of the workshop's purpose, "We went back to the basics of what grooming is, and conveyed that it is important not only to groom yourself but to do so with your guests in mind."
The shared goal was reportedly to focus on visual elements such as grooming and facial expression that shape first impressions, leaving guests with a good impression and leading to reassurance and trust. Rather than merely understanding skincare-to-makeup how-to manuals as knowledge, the program insisted on a format in which participants experience and learn in front of a mirror while bringing out their individuality and the appeal of their skin, aiming at content they can put into practice from the next day.
The program also took the hotel's unique environment into account, and the curriculum reflected that lighting changes how the finish looks and the impression given to guests. At the end of the practice, the venue lighting was switched so that participants could check their finish in an environment simulating the hotel's warm-toned lighting, reportedly experiencing not only "how it looks to me" but also "how it looks to the guest."
Yuki Yokose and Tomoe Mizoshita of the Human Resources Department at Shangri-La Tokyo commented on the workshop: "We believe the value of the experience we deliver to guests is shaped not only by service skills but also by the impression that each staff member gives off."
They said that in this workshop, participants were able to objectively review their own grooming while learning practically the skin preparation and makeup methods suited to each person. Participants said things like "I realized anew how important grooming is" and "There was a lot I learned for the first time, and the hands-on format brought discoveries, so it was very useful," making it a meaningful training session.
Even after the training, many participants kept talking about this workshop, and it drew a great response. They said it became part of efforts to support staff growth and an important opportunity to pursue the hospitality unique to Shangri-La Tokyo.
Makeup and hand care points useful in formal settings
From what was conveyed in this workshop, points on makeup and hand care that leave a good impression in formal settings were introduced. They can be used at occasions where communication with others matters, such as parties and weddings.
Makeup that looks good under warm-toned lighting
How makeup looks and the impression it gives change greatly depending on the lighting. In warm-toned lighting such as in hotels and party venues, finishing naturally as you normally would can make a healthy flush and dimension harder to show.
So, aiming for a finish that feels slightly stronger under normal bright lighting will give a natural, well-balanced impression even under warm-toned lighting.
Cheek color and lip color in particular are key to creating a good impression. Blush adds a healthy flush and gives the face a natural dimension. It is recommended to apply it broadly and softly along the cheekbones and blend it carefully so that the edges do not stand out. Adjusting how you apply it to your face shape gives a more balanced finish.
Lipstick neatens the mouth area and sharpens the expression. The key is to draw a clear outline and keep the left and right sides symmetrical. Finishing carefully up to the peaks of the lips and the corners of the mouth leads to a polished impression.
It is also said that those with larger or fuller lips can look balanced by drawing the outline slightly inside, while those with smaller or thinner lips can draw it slightly outside.
Hand care to polish the impression of your hands
Not only your face but also your hands are seen by others more than you might think. To present beautiful grooming, care that pays attention to your fingertips and nails is essential.
Hand cream moisturizes the skin of the hands and prevents dryness, and it also helps create a clean impression of the hands. It is recommended to care carefully for the fingertips and around the nails so that no spot is missed, and to polish every detail.
A video on how to apply hand cream can be viewed here.
Hand cream application video
Items introduced at the workshop
The following items were introduced at the workshop.
LUNASOL Coloring Breeze
8 shades in total, ¥3,300 (tax included)
Case sold separately, ¥1,540 (tax included)
A powder blush whose luminous, translucent color enhances the skin's beautiful healthy flush.
KANEBO Rouge Star Vibrant
19 shades in total, ¥5,060 (tax included)
A lipstick with a vivid, pulsing, lively finish that lasts for a long time.
KATE Eyebrow Pencil Super Slim 0.8
5 shades in total, ¥1,100 (tax included)
An eyebrow pencil with a protective tube and a break-resistant ultra-fine 0.8mm lead that can draw very fine strokes of brow hair.
SENSAI Intensive Hand Cream
100mL, ¥9,900 (tax included)
A hand cream that wraps and protects the skin in a veil of moisture, leading to bright, plump, silky skin.
About Shangri-La Tokyo
Shangri-La Tokyo opened on March 2, 2009 as the first hotel in Japan under the Shangri-La brand, and celebrates its 17th anniversary this year.
It occupies the top 11 floors of the main building of Marunouchi Trust Tower, a 37-story complex adjacent to Tokyo Station. The hotel, with 200 guest rooms in total, has two restaurants, the Italian restaurant "Piacere" and the Japanese restaurant "Nadaman," as well as the lounge & bar "The Lobby Lounge."
At the "Chi Spa," which has five treatment rooms and one of the largest spa suites in Tokyo, healing therapies handed down from ancient Asia are offered.
Shangri-La Tokyo earned five stars in the hotel category of the "Forbes Travel Guide," one of the world's leading travel guides rating top-class hospitality, for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2023.
Shangri-La Tokyo official website
About Kao Beauty Research & Creation Center
Within Kao's cosmetics business, the Beauty Research & Creation Center develops the beauty information and technologies that form the foundation of all Kao Beauty Brands, based on scientific evidence, consumer research and beauty trends.
It also supervises the beauty information on the Kao Beauty Brands site.
On the beauty community site "Kao Beauty Brands Play Park," a variety of beauty information is published.
