Get your man groomed to perfection with stylist Matthew Henson
The prevalence of beauty in today's world is not to be scoffed at and that includes men's grooming, which a lot of us find hard to convince the typical men in our lives.
But, take it from stylist Matthew Henson, also known as "the man who dresses A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd". He has been at the top of the fashion game since his late twenties—around the same age, uncoincidentally, that this stylist started his regimented grooming routine.
It doesn't matter what the fashion or beauty-related task is at hand, it seems one modus operandi stands true for Henson: it's not about achieving the "right" look, it's about finding the right items to enhance your look.
And the L'Officiel USA team caught up with the stylist to the stars to find out what grooming tips and tricks (which include a lot of Dior skincare and jugs of water!) keep him looking so fresh and we have the deets for you to pass on to your man.
See how you can enhance your man's looks with Matthew Henson:
Tell us about how you start your mornings.
Usually, I wake up, and as boring as it sounds, I drink a ton of water. Because I have no idea what I'm going to encounter during the day, I try to hydrate as much as I can in the morning. Then, I am somebody who substitutes Kind bars for full meals, so I'll have a Kind bar and then hopefully at some point, sometime during the day I'll be able to eat again.
Hydrate again, a little food. Then, I am a freak for skin, so I exfoliate my skin and moisturize a lot. I use this vitamin booster – a vitamin booster – from Dior. I use it every morning with my moisturizer, I use it as a combo. It keeps my skin super hydrated throughout the day.
Have you noticed a difference from when you first started your skincare regimen?
Yeah. I have combination skin, so I can be either really dry or really oily. Basically, what I think it did is even the texture of my skin out. Now, it's not oily or dry. It's just skin, it's just matte, most of the time.
Are there any grooming practices you try to avoid? Some guys don't shave, some don't moisturize. Is there anything you might avoid?
I don't really clean my skin with a facial cleanser, I just use water. I think sometimes when you do too much to your skin, it shows immediately. Even the most organic face wash, there's still too much going on in there.
I wash my face with cold water and I'll scrub it with a loofah or something after, nothing too fancy. And then, I'll just moisturize, and that's normally all I need, since I've been taking care of my skin, which happened admittedly started happening when I turned 30. Preparation for the old days starts now.
When talking to your clients, or your friends who are men, what do you think guys do wrong when it comes to grooming?
I think when you do too much, in a way that is not your natural self. I know some guys that love to have their beards tapered to a T and it looks like it's drawn on. Same thing with eyebrows.
Some guys trim their eyebrows or remove their unibrow, those are the things that are so unique to men that I think they should be maintained and kept. Looking like your authentic self. I think, outside of that, I think that's pretty much it. Facial hair and eyebrows should be left alone.
I agree. I know you mentioned some of the Dior products earlier, but is there another one that might have changed your life? Or one that you're hoping to try out?
You know what's funny? A mentor of mine wore the fragrance Bois D'argent and he wore it every day, for years. So every day, it's such a familiar scent for me and it has so many memories attached to it, so I want to find a Dior fragrance for me so that I can do the same thing and wear it every day and have it attached to so different points in my life.
Bois D'argent is the one I know best, but I'm excited to try more of them. It's light, it's nice and light. Do you remember the cartoon, Pepe Le Pew? It's almost like you can see the way it smells and it's so inviting and it's amazing.
