Sideburns
- What the look says: If you’re still taking style cues from Union Army General Ambrose Burnside who originated the style with his giant fluffy pork chops then you may be too re-enactment retro. But coiffed bacon strips or thinner burns add a slimming dimension to your face.
- Upkeep: You can use your razor to make sure your burns don’t extend beyond your desired borders or your barber can take care of them if you get frequent cuts.
- Celebrity Follicles: Elvis Presley, Robert Pattison.
Full beard
- What the look says: You are a rugged individualist, proud of your carefully cultivated yet uncompromising masculinity. Either that, or you’ve decided to cut back on your grooming budget.
- Upkeep: Periodic trimming here and there to help define its shape, your neckline, and prevent your growth from reaching ZZ Top level proportions.
- Celebrity Follicles: Conan O’Brien, Joaquin Phoenix.
Goatee
- What the look says: Whether you’re talking a tuft of jaw-line tracing chin grizzle or merely a soul patch beneath your bottom lip, the image is decidedly hipster.
- Upkeep: The Paris Hilton of facial hairstyles, goatees requires frequent preening sessions to maintain so that they don’t get too scraggly unless a devilishly long thicket is what you’re going for.
- Celebrity Follicles: Colin Farrell, Leonardo Dicaprio.
Shadow
- What the look says: You ooze pheromones. The perfectly cropped thin blanket of stubble is a siren call that awakens the libidos in scores of women.
- Upkeep: Pulling off a dark silhouette takes practice, but once you figure out how quickly your facial hair grows, you can perfect the timing between shaves to achieve the happy medium between the sloppy, can’t-find-my-razor look and the cool, happy-hour vibe.
- Celebrity Follicles: Jon Hamm, Michael Bublé.
Moustache
- What the look says: You’re a straight talking, wood whittling steak eater with a firm handshake that gives it 100 per cent because 110 per cent is impossible and only idiots recommend that.
- Upkeep: Invest in a sharp needle nose shaped pair of scissors and a moustache comb to keep your mouth sweater tamed and crumb free.
- Celebrity Follicles: Tom Selleck, James Franco.
Remember to ‘shave’ face
Just as vertically striped clothing can have a flattering svelte effect, so can facial hairstyles. With some guidance from Dr. Allan Peterkin, co-author of The Bearded Gentleman: The Style Guide to Shaving Face, here are some pointers on achieving face/ whisker harmony:
- Double Chin: A squared-off goatee with shorter whiskers on the cheeks and longer ones on the chin will add balance. Sideburns and stubble can complement a fuller face.
- Egghead: Punch up your cheeks with some bushy beard cover to round them out and add width.
- Square jaw:?You hit the genetic lottery. Just about any hirsute whim will look great.
- Bald: Jason Statham’s look with finely kept stubble is a good one.
