Look Your Best With Five Simple Daily Tricks
A messy neck and scuffed shoes say more than your resume ever will. Invest five minutes into these simple daily maintenance tricks and stop looking like a mess
By Your Bro · · Self Improvement
You can have the best intentions in the room, but if you look like you just rolled out of a dumpster, nobody is sticking around to hear your pitch. Stop looking like a mess with these simple daily maintenance tricks.
Key Takeaways
Minor grooming habits prevent the "overgrown boy" look that kills professional and romantic prospects.
Symmetry and clean lines on the face are instinctive indicators of health and discipline.
Clothing and footwear are investments that require maintenance, not just a one-time purchase.
Looking sharp is about attention to detail, not vanity or expensive labels.
Clean Up the Neck and Sideburns
Your sideburns are the part of your haircut that will grow out the fastest. Within two weeks of a fresh cut, that sharp line starts to look fuzzy. Within three, you look like you're losing a fight with a lawnmower. Trimming them yourself is a quick refresh that only works once between professional haircuts, but it buys you an extra week of looking competent. I once watched a guy lose a potential investor during a lunch meeting because he had half a forest growing out of his ears. The investor later told me, if he can't manage his own neck, he can't manage my money.
Get the job done right with a legit tool like the Philips Norelco Multigroom Razor. It keeps the edges crisp. Focus on the straight vertical line in front of the ear and the junction where the beard meets the neckline. If you miss this, you're signaling a lack of attention to detail that people will assume carries over into your work work or your relationships.
Take Care of Your Canvas
Every day, thousands of tiny skin cells on your face die. Without a good scrub, they accumulate and produce dry, white flakes around your nose and forehead. It makes you look weathered in a bad way. Research from the Mayo Clinic suggests that regular exfoliation can help prevent clogged pores and improve the skin's ability to heal itself. You aren't doing this for "beauty." You're doing it so you don't look like a piece of old leather. Adding a face scrub to your routine a couple of times per week will help you look fresh. Kiehl's facial scrub for men is a solid baseline.
Men naturally produce more sebum than women. The upside is that it keeps your skin moisturized, which NIH studies suggest may help men's skin age more slowly than women's. The downside is that by day's end, you’re greased up like a slice of pepperoni pizza. If you're heading out after work, use blotting papers—like those from Clean & Clear—on your nose and forehead. It takes thirty seconds and keeps you from looking like you've been working in a deep-fryer. Since first impressions hit the primitive brain before you even speak, as I mentioned when discussing scent and attraction, physical presentation is your first line of defense.
Upgrade the Uniform With Color
The basic white dress shirt is a classic, but sticking only with neutrals can make you look a bit dull. For a sharper appearance, opt for more exciting colors. A bright salmon, red, or aqua shirt will light up your face and make you stand out. You can go solid or experiment with something patterned, but keep the fit tight. Untuckit brand shirts are a decent option because they give you a clean look without any tailoring or the hassle of tucking in a shirt that’s six inches too long.
Sticking to boring colors is the easy way out. It’s the sartorial version of the "middle of the road" mentality that leads to a boring life. I've written before about how skills separate a man from an overgrown boy, and knowing how to dress yourself is high on that list. You don't need a tuxedo, but you do need to look like an adult.
The Shoe and Watch Test
A Men’s Health survey once found that the two main things women check out first are your watch and your shoes. Scuffed shoes indicate a lack of discipline. They also look like crap. Most guys buy a pair of boots and wear them until the soles fall off without ever touching them with a brush. Use something like the Sof Sol Instant Shine Kit to keep them looking alive.
If you're in a pinch and have zero time, try the old-school trick: swipe the inside of a banana peel across your leather shoe and wipe off the excess with a paper towel. The natural oils provide a quick shine. It sounds ridiculous until you're at a wedding and realize your shoes look like they've been through a war zone. I've used this in airport bathrooms more than once. It works better than it has any right to.
The Psychology of Maintenance
Most men fail to dedicate the time required to tighten up their look because they think it doesn't matter. They think "the right people" will see their heart. The world doesn't work that way. People make snap judgments in milliseconds. Taking five minutes to exfoliate or shine your shoes isn't about vanity; it's about signaling that you are in control of your environment. If you want to show confidence in any situation, you have to start with the man in the mirror. It's much harder to feel like a leader when you're looking at a guy with a neck beard and oily skin.
The world is taking notice of the small things. Don't give them a reason to look away before you've even opened your mouth.
What To Do This Week
Buy a dedicated face scrub and use it twice this week before bed.
Inspect your shoes; if they have scuffs, spend five minutes cleaning them.
Check your sideburns in the mirror; if they’re fuzzy, trim them to a sharp line.
Swap one neutral shirt in your rotation for something with a bold color.
—Your Bro