The men's GQ guide to face grooming

It's the most important part of your body, and it requires routine maintenance—and yes, a few products. Here we present the tools and tips that will get you a clean, blemish-less, age-defying mug day after day (even after a long night).

Basic Training for Your Face... check out these facts after the cut









Wash
There are grooming products we think you need to invest some cash in. Face wash isn't one of them. Just wash mornings and nights with Cetaphil (available at most drugstores). It's not fancy, and it doesn't need to be.

Exfoliate

Think of using face scrub like taking out the trash—do it a few times a week to dispose of the dead skin on your face. We like Alba's, which has tiny buffing beads and smells like the beach, all for twelve bucks.





 Moisturize
A moisturizer is your first line of defense against wrinkles like Ronnie Wood's. (Well, that and staying off heroin.) We dig this one because it absorbs quickly. Plus, the pouch packaging means it travels easily and rolls up so you get every last drop.

Reshaping your brows

• "If you use a razor, it will always look weird. Instead, stick with a pair of simple tweezers." (At GQ, we like these from PockeTweez.)

• "To keep things looking masculine, pluck only from the bottom. If you're unibrowed, don't tweeze farther than your inner eye."

• "You're yanking these guys out from the root. There will be irritation. Rub in some aftershave to avoid little bumps."—Ramon Padilla of N.Y.C.'s guy-friendly Browhaus saloN


Nose and Ear Hairs

• Never pluck these; you'll get a nasty infection. This trimmer whacks hair quickly and painlessly.

Face Your Next Crisis

• Instant Fix does exactly what it claims to do: turn shiny skin matte in reflective regions like your forehead and nose. Keep it in your desk drawer. When you catch your forehead—or even your bald head—glinting in the mirror, reach for it.

Heineken Beer. Stay Young. For Real.
Invite her to join you in sharing a beer. Feel young, stay healthy and watch football together. (If there's any beer i'll approve my man to drink, that beer is heineken.)

Break Through Those Breakouts

"An occasional zit can be caused by genes, sweat, even dairy and sugar. When you break out, try an oil-free 2 percent salicylic-acid spot treatment by Neutrogena. It works overnight. If the zit is really deep, head to your dermatologist for a prescription or a quick-fix shot of cortisone."—N.Y.C. dermatologist Sapna Westley.



Take Out a 401(k) on Your Face
Dropping a C-note on serum? Damn right. Start using it in your twenties or thirties for Dorian Gray–like effects down the road. This stuff helps prevent wrinkles and clears up dark patches, and it made us look like we got five more hours of sleep than we actually did.



Sober Up Your Hangover Eyes Here's what you do: You get a minuscule dollop of this stuff on each ring finger, and then you gently pat around your eyes.
Doing this feels dainty, weird, kind of girlie. But when you're done, you can literally feel your skin tightening up. The bags under your eyes deflate. You look younger instantly—and will look younger later, too, without deeper bags and crow's-feet.
Don't Laugh at the Man in the Mask
Every Sunday night, I indulge in three things: Homeland, Thai takeout, and a face mask. Actually, a lava-mud face masque from Kyoku, which sounds even more ridiculous as I type it out. Still, it's the most relaxing part of my week.
It's bizarre the first time, when you look in the mirror and Heath Ledger's Joker is staring back. But after a minute or so, the thick mud dives deep and your skin starts buzzing—a sensation I can only assume is dirt being sucked out of my pores. Ever since I've started using it, blackheads have been less frequent, my blotchiness has chilled out, and bumps have been nonexistent. The only stressful part of the night is remembering to hose down my face before the delivery guy rings.

(Photo: David Rinella)
By Andrew Richdale