Hugh JackmanA PERFECT PAIR

A man with a good beard can certainly be appealing, but when the look is coupled with a clean-cut haircut the result is straight-up style. That’s what Jason Schneidman, a stylist at Chris McMillan Salon in Beverly Hills, CA, did for his client Hugh Jackman for an Academy Awards luncheon. To achieve a similar style on your clients, Schneidman recommends creating a neatly coiffed haircut with a bit of length on top to coincide with a statement-making beard or mustache. “Leave it clean up top and let the facial hair grow in; 10 days is the ultimate growth period,” Schneidman says. To get the final look for the event, Schneidman washed Jackman’s hair the day before with a thickening shampoo for volume, then used mousse on the roots and a small men’s groomer round brush in the front when drying to create a bend. The next day, Schneidman heated up a dime-size amount of molding paste in his hand and then applied all over the hair. “Be aggressive to make the style big and work down from there,” he says. —J.T.


Man to Man

For Michael Boyle, necessity truly was the mother of invention. Tired of having to choose between discount cutteries and salons that catered to the female persuasion, Boyle took matters into his own hands and decided to create an establishment where the environment was masculine and the services top-notch. The result: Gent Cuts and Grooming. Situated in the historic Grand Avenue area of Saint Paul, MN, Gent’s 1,100-square-foot interior boasts dark-wood decor replete with old-school leather barber chairs, sinks and flat-screen TV’s at all six stations.

Boyle didn’t stop there. He also recruited two of the best male-focused stylists in the Twin Cities—Justin Lovinella and Dusty Rhode—to develop the Gent team. “Our Creative Director Dusty has built an advanced education curriculum that’s become the ‘Gent standard’ and set the bar high for quality services that differentiate us,” Boyle says. Among clients’ favorites are straight-razor shaves, gray blending, facials and cuts. “They can feel the great energy that Gent has soon as they walk in the door,” Boyle says. —K.D.


POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

The latest release from stylists Matthew Morris and Zach Olson is a throwback to screen stars such as James Dean, Elvis Presley and Tab Hunter. To achieve the pompadour, Olson created a stylish cut; then Morris used a pomade to work against the hair’s natural grain after he roughly round-brushed it. “This is an approachable, lived-in style that looks effortless and iconic,” Morris says. —K.D.

Photography: corbis (a perfect pair); Jordan Holloway (pomp and circumstance)