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The Oscars 2012: get the latest styles
Goatees were in at the Oscars. Whether you want to get Christian Bale’s facial hair style or adopt Sasha Baron-Cohen’s ‘Dictator’ beard, read on for the low-down
Demian Bichir
The obvious trend of the night for men was a return of the goatee shape with no full beards in sight. Demian Bichir wore a shape works well on guys with limited growth, but proves that this shape works for guys with a mature growth too who would otherwise have a thick full beard.
Get the look:
1. Allow beard to grow till desired length is achieved
2. Shave the cheeks and neck cleanly, creating a line that runs just under the chin to the jaw.
3. Shave downward from the lower lip toward the chin, creating a line that runs above the chin and meets the line under the chin at the jawline.
4. Leave a space unshaven from the center of the lip to form a soul patch that joins with the chin,
5. Finish the mustache at the corners of the mouth and sharpen the line across the top for a finished look.
Robert Downey Jr.
This was the most interesting shape of the night and Robert Downey Jr wore it with style and class. With another take on a goatee, the crescent shape formed by his moustache joining the chinstrap at his jawline is a unique twist and very effective at highlighting his chiseled features.
Get the look:
1. Allow beard to grow for several days.
2. Shave a line across the top the mustache as a guideline, then continue to extend the line wide from the edges to the center of the jaw and shave everything cleanly above the line on the cheeks.
3. Shave a line under the chin with downward strokes, forming a line the meets the extended mustache at the jawline.
4. Shave the neck clean
5. Starting at the corners of the mouth, shave a line under the mustache that extends to the jaw, then shave under the lower lip down towards the chin, leaving a strip from the soul patch to the chin.
Christian Bale
Christian Bale wore a thicker and fuller goatee shape, with a longer growth that added more rugged finish to his loose hair and sharp suit. This is definitely a very masculine look that is un-fussy and one that many men will find easy to wear.
Get the look:
1. Grow whiskers until a full growth is achieved.
2. Shave cheeks clean from the slightly extended edges of the mustache to the jawline.
3. Shave a line under the chin that extends under the jaw
4. Shave neck clean
5. Shave under the bottom lip downwards only enough to clean any stray hairs, leaving a soul patch and the natural growth pattern of the chin,
Brad Pitt
Smart, charming and very sharp, Brad is every inch the Hollywood leading man who has it all. His trim goatee offset his longer hair and tuxedo perfectly and added real ‘cool’ factor. The sharp lines compliment his features and soften his defined chin.
Get the look:
1. Allow whiskers to grow to full stubble.
2. Shave downwards from under the nose to clean the line across the top of the mustache.
3. Shave cheeks clean, only allowing mustache to extend slightly from the corners of the mouth.
4. Form straight lines (pipes) that run from the sides of the mouth down towards the chin.
5. Shave under the chin and clean the neck hairs away.
The Dictator
Ok…so what can I say here? The Dictator (aka Sasha Baron-Cohen) certainly made an impression on everyone at the Oscars, especially the unsuspecting Ryan Seacrest. While this was probably the fullest beard we’ve seen on the red carpet in some time (Zach Galifianakis aside) I thought it was worth mentioning purely for the spectacle and comedy value!
