Equal Time for Men...

Adrian Grenier

Many of our clients don’t think of it in these terms, but just as women use hair and makeup to enhance or camouflage features, men use hair styles and facial hair to do the same.  

Entourage star Adrian Grenier looks best with longer hair that makes use of his natural curls, so the longer look here is more flattering even though I’d like to see him with a bit more length. And the slight beard growth – the 5 o’clock shadow – gives him a rugged, more handsome look.

Ashton Kutcher

I do suggest, for many of my male clients, the addition of a moustache and a goatee when we want to disguise a weak chin or a too-thin upper lip, or to add balance to the face. Facial hair on men is really just like makeup for women.

Brad Pitt

New Two and a Half Men star Ashton Kutcher’s shaggy beard does nothing for him except to disguise how handsome he really is. Just by changing his hair and wearing a little shadow of beard, he looks masculine without having to resort to the uneven growth on his cheeks and jawline. He looks sophisticated, not younger.

David Beckham

Brad Pitt is a great example of how sometimes grey can really age a person. This is not always the case, but for him, when you see these side-by-side images, the difference is plain to see and quite drastic. Other actors, like George Clooney, wear their grey proudly. Brad still looks much better when he cultivates that “golden god” look. 

 

Gerard Butler

Footballer David Beckham is another example of how a bit of 5 o’clock shadow is terribly masculine and handsome, and a beard is just awful. Grooming is everything for this new father. 

Jake Gyllenhaal

Big and burly Gerard Butler is a great example of a man who exudes the raw confidence to wear whatever he wishes and pulls it off. He has a face that looks good with the beard, without it, with the shadow, hair swept back, hair on the forehead – he even makes this modified “mullet” look good.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s looks are a bit boyish, so it’s a shock to see how heavy a beard he grows! He has a very long facial shape, and this heavy, full beard exaggerates it. He has a wonderful thick head of hair and it looks good a bit longer, but all he needs is the bit of scruff in the left-hand shot, or a moustache at most. 

Jason Momoa

Up-and-coming Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa from Game of Thrones has the facial structure to carry off virtually any hairstyle and facial hair. I must note here that my wife Marianne insisted that he be included in this column, and I generously agreed. The shot on the left is Jason with a tremendous amount of facial hair, the center shot is how he looks in his daily life, and the shot on the right is from the upcoming remake of Conan the Barbarian. With a bone structure this strong, and such striking looks, we could shave his head and women would still swoon. 

Jon Hamm

MadMen star Jon Hamm has grown a rather heavy beard in the off season, but I prefer him clean-shaven and with his hair swept back a la Don Draper. He has a great, strong jaw and a very masculine look, and the facial hair does nothing to enhance his looks. If he’s just tired of looking like the show’s character, I’d suggest a moustache and perhaps wearing his hair pushed forward a bit. But no beard.

Kellan Lutz

Twilight saga star Kellan Lutz, like so many actors, is required to change hair color frequently for roles. Here we see him with Twilight-dark locks, curly and straight, and as a very golden blonde. It would appear he has very tight natural curls, I think the lighter hair is more flattering, and it’s nice to see an actor his age remain clean-shaven when he has such a chiseled face instead of hiding behind a scraggly beard.

Pete Wentz

Celebrities play a very important role for us outside the theater – with their constantly changing looks, we are allowed to critique what they’ve done, and perhaps entertain the idea of making the same drastic changes to our hair color or style, grow it longer or cut it shorter. We use them as references to take chances with ourselves, because we’re playing with something that is interchangeable. We can take the same chance, and if we don’t like it, we can change it back, grow it out, or cut it off. And it’s entirely possible that we may find that we should have made the change much sooner! 

  

Robert Pattinson

Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz decided to go au natural after years of flat ironing some very, very curly hair. The style itself is too round and dated.  I would recommend a smoothing treatment for the top, which should be a little longer, and would keep the sides and back very short. But he’s stopped fighting nature, and that’s to be commended. He looks 100% better.

Rupert Grint

The Twilight saga’s brooding vampire leading man, Robert Pattinson, surprised us with such a heavy growth of beard, but it’s way too much. He’d look older and sexier with a moustache and perhaps a goatee; there’s no need to hide his enviable looks behind that much landscaping. 

Sean Bean

Harry Potter co-star Rupert Grint apparently tired of the endless cycle of premieres and interviews, and gave up on the grooming altogether. The shot on the left is at the first premiere; the one on the right the most recent. I’m calling his latest look “Freedom.”

Game of Thrones star Sean Bean certainly cleans up well, although his medieval look for the show is not a great leap from his daily look; he’s simply better groomed and wearing a more fashionable hair style and less facial hair. 

Zac Efron

Newly minted adult actor Zac Efron is a perfect example of how the right haircut and facial hair can add maturity to your look. At age 23, without the longer hair and groomed moustache and beard, he looks as if he’s yet to graduate high school.

The most important thing is that no matter what kind of haircut, haircolor, or facial hair you choose, what makes the difference is your character and your confidence. If you are sporting something you don’t feel too confident about, it doesn’t really matter how great your cut, color, or facial hair – you’re going to look uncomfortable and people will feel that. If you are confident in how you look and the choices you’ve made – even if you're the only one wearing that look -- people are going to think you look great. After all, new trends have to be started by someone!

Until next week, ciao!