In the context of everything happening in the menswear fashion world right now and especially for SS23 — countless shows that now include couture, movements that disappear faster than you can swipe up on TikTok, or he for her and vice versa concepts — what are some big grooming trends? Specifically, which ones matter when it leaps from runways to real life?
Frankly, and considering what we have seen, SS23 is no longer about considering the province of hype. Perhaps, a designer’s rational response to toning excess down as the world slowly returns to normal. That is not to say that the grooming trends we have filtered are boring or banal.
One can keep his coloured eyeliners, fluorescent nail polishes, and instant hair dyes, but in our opinion, the grooming trends for SS’23 are made for people to enter a new era of elegance: never stuffy, somewhat sensual, and in a Men’s Folio way, subtly subversive.
Pictured Above: The Shadow Goatee
Known as the five o’clock shadow that the more genetically blessed seems to be able to grow, the benefits of a shadow goatee are the way that it makes one’s face appear fuller if it is overtly lean or slimmer if it is rounder.
For those who are follicly challenged, makeup artist Rachel Seok (@raeseok/@plikamakeup) recommends ransacking a makeup bag for mascara or bronzer. For the former, a waterproof one is of utmost importance (apply to sparse strands with light strokes). For the latter, apply a taupe-coloured one (“bronzers with red or brown undertones usually appear orange on the skin”) as close to the jawline as possible and sweep upwards to mimic the shadow that comes with a goatee.
Her favourites include the Heroine Make Kiss Me mascara available in most drugstores and the KVD Shade + Light Face Contour palette with six shades closely mimicking the skin’s natural undertones.
Anis is wearing a Dior Men wool jacket.
The Dirty Of the Skin Microbiome
As one is reading this story right now, at least one trillion bacteria are cohabitating on and in the skin’s various layers. Scientists call it a microbiome, a “rainforest-like” environment where the skin is healthy only if the good flora can flourish. Similar to those in our gut, the good bacteria on our skin have essential roles, like protecting against pollution, energising its vital functions, and ensuring that the skin’s barrier is the strongest.
However, the bacteria in our gut differ from that on our skin, so prebiotics in pill forms do not work.
While it is hard to pinpoint exactly how out of sync one’s microbiome is, a 2018 study by Nature Reviews Microbiology, a monthly peer-reviewed review journal, suggests that it can happen to him matter what one’s skin type: oily, hydrated, or dry (one swipe of the Clarins Soothing Toning Lotion kick-starts the rebalancing while smoothing out dry patches).
Another study suggests that chronic inflammatory skin conditions, like dryness (the Dr.Jart+ Vital Hydra Solution Biome Water Cream hydrates while rebalancing the microbiome), acne (the Gallinée Face Vinegar also contains lactic acid for gentle exfoliation), and even eczema are one of the most common causes of a weakened microbiome.
What is the solution to maintaining equilibrium, then? Firstly, one needs to start with what he is currently doing: look out for skincare products that might contain alcohol, sulphates, or abrasive ingredients. Next, consider swapping them out for any of these instead, with TheFaceShop’s Dr. Belmeur Total Youth Biome Multi-Purpose Balm being the handiest. Its derma biome complex tackles everything from a lack of hydration to enlarged pores and wrinkles.
The Moonlit Glow Of Orbital Highlighting
One of SS23’s brightest grooming trends starts with highlighting one’s orbital bone before migrating up to one’s temples, almost like moonlight gently caressing the upper features of one’s face. Compared to the classic way of highlighting the cheekbones, Rachel thinks it looks more natural as the product “blends into the eyebrow and up into the temples,” meaning it does not look as concentrated or as random.
Of course, the added spotlight helps open the eyes while elongating the look of a shorter forehead. As for application, she recommends going with a cream highlighter (“such textures are easier to control”), with her personal favourites being the Glossier Haloscope or NARS The Multiple.
Aniq is wearing a Dior Men Nylon tracksuit jacket.
The New Bedhead is Sophisticated
Aeons ago, during a particular period when a certain website called Tumblr was popular, the bedhead look was categorised as one that was literal: one purposely styled his hair in a way that mimicked freshly rolling out of bed. In 2023 as one of SS23’s more directional grooming trends, hairstylist Juno Ko (@juuu.ko) believes that it should have some sophistication. “A lot of men are using a product that is too oily to create that effortless bedhead look which just ends up looking too shiny.”
Instead, he recommends the usage of a pomade because of its adequate stickiness that gives it hold and its natural shine that never looks oily. Simply just use one to get the look as seen on runways like Dior and Fendi, but if one wants something a little more effortless, some complication is required.
“Use a straightener before styling with a lightweight oil-based serum but remember, hair styling is just like makeup. You damage the parts you apply the product on if you’re not cleansing it off properly, so ensure you’re completely shampooing off any product.”
Tristan is wearing a Louis Vuitton Cotton T-shirt.
The Light Hearted Spirit Of Soft Woods
When one thinks of a fragrance categorised by its ingredient’s name, the scent he assumes it will have is always obvious. Would a rose with any other name smell as sweet? Does the word citrus bring to mind freshly cut oranges or lemons? The odour profile for wood has always been similar in an olfactory context, too: masculine, aromatic, and somewhat spicy or even creamy, depending on the type of wood used.
More often than not, a wood-based fragrance’s proposed vision by its nose is a tree that has fallen in a forest, and instead of just a sound, a scent reverberates and makes itself known to the people around it (Armani Privé Santal Dān Shā is particularly good at doing this with a mist-like softness of dreamwood that softens the heaviness of cedar and musk).
So what, then, is the atmospheric allure of what we call softwood fragrances? They can be misty and hazy, like a walk in the highlands of Ireland (scented by Penhaligon’s The Tragedy Of Lord George for dramatic effect) or tender and light like that of a renaissance painting (L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Eau & Cèdre with its sparkling sap-like notes). Of course, one needs to consider how each dries on his skin, but one thing we can swear on is that these softwoods have the right amount of bark and bite.
Take the Amouage Purpose, for example; the heaviness of sandalwood, suede and akigalawood is a beautiful base for the lightness of ingredients like rose, bergamot, and pimento to dance upon.
The New Erogenous Zone Is the…
Bellybutton. Yes, the “innies” that are hollowed and which 90% of us have or the “outies” (self-explanatory) that the remaining do. Looking at a belly button might not seem particularly stirring but consider this: it sits in the middle of a sliver of skin just above the nether regions and has somewhat of a psychological effect when seen.
When one raises their arms, there is a chance it might be seen that suggests what else their viewer can do in a carnal context. We are not stretching things: evolutionary psychologists have always felt that men are instinctively attracted to body orifices, with some considering the belly button as one (some go as far as to believe that its stimulation elicits a tickle in the genitals), believing it instigates a primal reaction.
If one wants more concrete science, a study at the University of Missouri deduced that small, T-shaped belly buttons are the most attractive.
Kahvoon is wearing a stylist’s own cotton tanktop and Louis Vuitton jeans.
Or the Triangle On One’s Shoulders
Look into the mirror, feel above the collarbone and locate the shallow triangle between the collar and the neck. That area might not feel particularly interesting, but one needs to consider the fragility and strength of its surrounding parts. It accounts for five per cent of adult fractures worldwide, but its strength comes from the fact that one’s head sits atop the muscles of the neck, making it an erogenous zone. After all, that is the most common place for love bites if both are in the mood for one.
Kahvoon is wearing a Saint Laurent wool and metal sweater.
Photography Chee Wei
Styling Izwan Abdullah
Styling Assistant Liew Hui Ying
Grooming Rachel
Hair Juno Ko
Models Aniq | TheModelsLab , Tristan, and Kahvoon
Once you’re done with this story about SS23’s grooming trends, click here to catch up with our March 2023 issue!
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