Facial Hair | Man's Fine Life

Brooklyn…home to the newest cultural renaissance here in NYC. Visit us and you’ll find a treasure trove of artists, artisans, and craftsmen, all producing some pretty magnificent stuff. And of course, you’ll see beards. Lots of beards. But while many of our beard-wearing brethren here in Brooklyn wouldn’t know a razor if they fell on one, a few of us actually do shave! I remember watching my Dad shave as a kid, fascinated by what I saw as one of the simplest and purest embodiments of maleness. The guy could ski double black diamonds with ease, fix any broken down car by himself, and seemingly attract the attention of any beautiful young woman (often 20 years his junior.) So needless to say, as a kid I paid close attention, and I came to see shaving as a symbol of the conflation of masculinity and refinement. I mean seriously, can you picture James Bond with a beard? Not happening.

Having decided years ago to be a clean-shaven man, I’ve had time to try many different shave creams. It’s a very important part of shaving that is often glossed over, as silly as that may seem. Many people pay attention to what type of razor they use, whether they shave with the grain or against it, etc. But the fact is the shaving cream you choose will make a big difference. Using a good shaving cream will spare you lots of nicks and rashes, and leave you smelling elegant and, dare I say, attractive. For me, the creme de la creme of creams is Musgo Real.

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We here at MFL are big fans of the mustache. Our own tomvox is currently sporting one and I’ve been know to grow one from time to time. I think even Graham has one of those David Niven jobs on his upper lip but he’s always on the road and I haven’t seen him for weeks.

No matter, if you’re burnt out on your beard during these hot summer months, you may want to give the Magnum, P.I. look a shot.

On second thought, “The Selleck” is a pretty advanced ‘stache so maybe you should work up to that bristly wonder with a little practice lest you hurt your face.

We’re not sure how the classic stand alone mustache got such a poor fashion rep. Too many gold chain-wearing over-tan St. Tropez types in banana hammocks? The Village People? 70s porn? But we feel it’s a fine statement to make on the confident man’s upper lip. The squares may give you some confused looks but trust us, the ladies like ’em. And really, are you gonna follow the herd or be your own man?

The How To: Grow a beard for something like a week so you eliminate that awkward “shadow lip” phase and then shave and shape to your taste. You can keep a soul patch for support if you’re feeling vulnerable. But eventually try to make the leap to only the furry upper lip. Wahl trimmers can give you whatever shape and level of bushiness you’re looking for.

In the meantime, have a look at these other guys along with Magnum and tell us again that the ‘stache is not cool…

Nigel-Mansell-1995-McLaren