How to Buy a Suit - Even the Men's Mags won't give you these great tips.

Written By Laura Silverman for our content partner Men's Life Today -- Handpicked for you by our team.

To read what the men’s magazines say about it, you’d think buying a suit is like purchasing a car, warranting copious research, multiple store visits, the accompaniment of an experienced friend. And it can be like that -- if you want to spend thousands of dollars and look like a GQ photo shoot. But for most guys, it’s a much simpler proposition.

That said, there are a few essential pieces of know-how every first-time suit-buyer should have. To break it down for us, we spoke to David Alperin, a Brooklyn-based designer and owner of specialty men’s retailer Goose Barnacle, winner of the Best Menswear Award in New York Magazine’s 2011 Best of New York issue.

1. Pick Your Price

“I tell young people not to go for the cheapest suit,” says Alperin. “It’s not going to last, and in the long run you’ll get more out of something a little higher quality.” Alperin advises shopping at Club Monaco, J. Crew or Banana Republic, where you can find decent off-the-rack suits for $300 to $400 that won’t require too much tailoring.

2. Pick Your Color

“Everyone’s first suit should be a solid navy blue.” And after navy, Alperin suggests, gray. And then navy pinstripe and then gray pinstripe … and then you can start to experiment. Why all the navy and gray? Because they go with everything. And why navy first? Because it’s perceived to be the most professional. We don’t know why -- some things just are.

3. Pick Your Style

If you’re young, says Alperin, no pleats. “Pleats were designed for a heavier-set person, and they make you look a little frumpy.” Flat-front pants give a slimmer, cleaner look -- and who doesn’t want that? Cuffs are a personal decision, he adds, but “the rule of thumb is: if no pleats, no cuffs.”

As for jackets, either two-button or three-button is fine, but Alperin suggests sticking with the two-button option for your first suit -- mainly because there are more of them out there. “In terms of finding suits at everyday stores that are mid- to good quality, usually it’s going to have two buttons.”

4. Pick Your Weight

As with color, until you have a closet full of suits and can pick and choose at your whim, you want something that’s going to be wearable in as many situations -- and seasons -- as possible. That, according to Alperin, would be a mid-weight 100-percent wool or wool blend.

5. Find Your Fit

“The shoulder and jacket length should be as close to perfect as possible,” says Alperin. “Anything else can be fixed.” The shoulders should end where your shoulders end; if they’re hanging off the end, even a smidge, put the suit back on the rack and find another.

Next, check the length. “You should be able to cup your hand underneath the bottom of the jacket.” If you brought dad along, and he’s telling you to go to the tips of your fingers, ignore him. That was the rule in his day; the new rule, according to Alperin, is a more modern look. “It makes everyone look taller if your jacket is a little shorter.”

Now you can start to relax, because the tailor will handle the rest. If your pants are flat front, make sure they fit in the waist (that’s your waist, not your hips) and they’ll have a nice straight fit down to the break on your shoe. Have the tailor hem your pants so they bend right as they hit the shoe and don’t bunch up. The sleeves should be tailored so that your shirt cuffs show a quarter of an inch. If you bought the right shoulders and jacket length, says Alperin, that’s all the tailoring you’ll need to do.

6. Complete the Outfit

“A mistake a lot of men make is purchasing a suit without the rest of the outfit,” says Alperin. “Without the tie, the socks, the shoes, it’s nothing.” You’ll need a minimum of two shirts: one white, one light blue. If you find a white shirt you like, Alperin suggests buying a few of them. “Your suit will outlive all of your shirts.”

There’s only one rule for socks: they must be darker than your suit. If your suit is a very dark navy, you can even wear black socks. Ties, of course, can run the gamut, but if you’re not ready to experiment, just go solid. “A solid burgundy tie, a dark green tie, navy, gray … they all look good with a navy suit on either a white or light blue shirt.”

Finally, says Alperin, invest in a good pair of black shoes -- a typical men’s dress shoe like a Cole Haan lace-up -- and a black belt to match. Most important of all: Keep your shoes polished. “It makes the whole outfit, which a lot of men don’t realize.”

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/theprint

Laura Silverman is the managing editor of Men’s Life Today.

Why it is important to wash your face daily

Written By Dr. Josh Zeichner for our content partner Men's Life Today -- Handpicked for you by our team.

Washing your face every day is more important than you think. A variety of factors can lead to clogged pores and pimples, such as:

• Sweat. Our faces sweat throughout the day, depositing salt and organic compounds (found in sweat) on your skin.
• Natural oils. Known as sebum, natural oils are also made by the body’s skin glands and collect on the surface of your skin.
• Dirt. Being exposed to the air and touching your face can cause dirt to be trapped on the skin.

Also, a dirty face may contain germs that can get into the skin through nicks from shaving. For all these reasons, it is important to wash your face every day and make sure you shave a clean face!

How you can protect your skin from Sun and Pollution

Written By Ravina Rawal for our content partner Men's Life Today -- Handpicked for you by our team.

The weather's getting all hot and smoggy, and you're wondering how your skin deals with the pollution our cities seem to be breathing under. Common sense tips certainly include the basics – like drinking lots of water, getting some exercise, a healthy diet and enough sleep. But you definitely need a few extra tools to win the battle against clogged pores, increasing acne and photo-aging! Here are five of the best:

1. Cleanse!

Use a mild cleanser on your face at least twice daily. “If your skin is excessively oily, try a cleanser with salicylic acid, and use a toner to temporarily battle large open pores,” recommends Dr. Narmada Matang, Head Medical Operations for Kaya Skin Clinic India. “Also, what you may not know is that the contact time of the cleanser makes a difference. Use your fingertips and keep the cleanser on for just 30 seconds before rinsing it off again. The product may be mild, but you can dry out your skin if you leave it on too long.” Oh, and if you've got baby-soft sensitive skin, you may want to try a non-foaming face cleanser. Dr. Matang also recommends a using a scrub on your face once a week. And if you have the time for facials, they’re great every six weeks or so to tackle clogged pores, blackheads and dead skin, allowing shiny younger skin to come through, resulting in a great glow.

2. Get a Great Shave

There’s nothing like a smooth shave to make your skin feel good and look even better. But instead of hurrying through it every morning, take the time to prepare your facial skin first. Start by opening up your pores, to make the shave smoother. If you shave in the shower, your pores are already prepped. If not, soak a towel in warm water and apply it to your skin for at least a minute. Next up: shaving cream. Remember to leave this on your stubble for a good two minutes so it has time to work, and you don’t end up with razor burn. When you’re done, wash up with cold water to close your pores, and pat dry.

3. And Then, Moisturise
You must moisturise after shaving. The beard area is especially prone to folliculitis and dryness, so moisturising needs to become an essential part of your daily routine if you want your girlfriend to go gaga over your soft skin. Can’t bear the grease? Try a water-based moisturiser.

4. Seal + Protect: Sunscreen, Sunscreen, Sunscreen
This is our TOP tip. One of those slightly painful, but absolutely essentially additions to your morning routine. Shave, shower… sunscreen. “The most important thing you have to remember about protecting photoaging of the skin, is that the earlier you start the better, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors” says New Delhi-based consultant dermatologist Dr. Sanjiv Kandhari. He believes you should be using sunscreen irrespective of your age or season (it is just as important to protect yourself in the winter as it is in the summer). Get a good sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15, with both UVA and UVB protection. Slather it on every morning, and if you’re going to be outdoors a lot, reapply it every two-three hours. “There is a new finding that indicates that not only are UVA and UVB rays harmful, but also visible light,” says Kandhari. “They’re not available in India yet, but top skincare brands have started introducing sunscreens that covers the whole spectrum, including visible light.”

5. Look Hot, Stay Cool
An often-neglected area on the face is the skin around the eyes. If you don’t want to end up with those fine crinkly lines that we call ‘crow’s feet’, invest in a pair of large and funky sunglasses, and you’re good to go!

Ravina Rawal is the editor-in-chief of youth magazine MTV Noise Factory, and has contributed to many of India's best-known lifestyle publications, from Cosmopolitan to India Today Travel Plus. She lives mostly in New Delhi, and sometimes in Mumbai.

The right facial hair to attract the girl of your dreams

Written By Belisa Vranich and brought to you by our content partner Men's Life Today -- Handpicked for you by our team.

Rather than just relying on prayer and luck, you can actually change yourself into the man she seems attracted to. And this power to morph into her dream guy lies right at your fingertips -- or rather, at the tip of your mug. Yup, we’re talking facial hair.

Look, we don’t want to stereotype, but ever notice how certain lady types tend to go for certain guy types? Sure, you already know they’re assessing your God-given attractiveness, career choice, wealth aptitude, tattoo-titudes and Avatar action figure collection. But are you also aware that they're judging you by your facial hair choices? The trick is to groom your facial hair to attract the girl you want.

Below, we present six lady archetypes and the kind of facial hair they’re likely to go for. (Just don’t do any major shaves on date night: You don’t want a tan line around where the spot your face fur used to be.)

The Biker Chick

She’s into: Motorcycles and classic rock (like Motorhead), and loves the WWE.

You grow:

A Fu Manchu -- that’s a ’stache shaped like a horseshoe, named after an evil genius movie character in the 1930s (current wearers include Hulk Hogan). Add large sideburns or lamb chops for a more extreme effect.

Possible hairy situation:

While you can let the ends grow past your chin or curl up off your face (turning into a handlebar mustache), never, ever let the hair above your upper lip grow to the point you can grasp it with your bottom teeth. Eww.


The Intellectual

She’s into: Smart. You’ve seen her with guys obviously destined for professor-hood.

You grow:

… take a deep breath … a beard.


Possible hairy situation: While it gives the impression you’re too busy finishing your dissertation to shave, take a second careful look to ensure symmetry and a lack of errant hairs.


The Cool Chick

She’s into: Retro. Or hipster. Her style says, “I’m original and I like original.”

You grow:

Either a pencil mustache (think Rhett Butler or Gomez Adams) or a caterpillar, a slightly thicker version. She’ll make a beeline to you at the coffee shop to comment on your “courage” faster than you can say “latte with skim milk.”

Possible hairy situation: Brace yourself for teasing from friends. Also: If you get carried away with trimming the sides, you’ll end up with a “Charlie Chaplin” (also called a “toothbrush” or “Hitler”).

The Goth Girl

She’s into: Black hair, black clothes …

You grow:

“The Satan,” (aka “The Magician”), a mini-handlebar and goatee combo shaped into a V. Note: the darker your hair, the better.

Possible hairy situation:

If you’re tempted to include arched eyebrows (a la David Navarro) into the mix, go to a professional so you don’t end up with Boy George brows.

The Free Spirit

She’s into: … different. Just a tad. The guys you see her with are never clean-shaven. She likes subtle pizzazz.

You grow:

A small facial hair commitment just to catch her eye -- think soul patch, chin patch or petit goatee. If time is of the essence, consider shaping your sideburns into Vulcan-like points.

Possible hairy situation:

If you do go Vulcan, resist the temptation to sign off with “live long and prosper” or hail your friends with the requisite three-toed sloth hand signal.

The Corporate Gal

She’s into: … smooth -- as a baby’s butt. Keep it simple, stupid. Shave in the a.m., and gosh darn it, maybe even a second time in the p.m. just to drive home the point.

You grow:

Nothing. Sure there’s a hint of 5 o’clock shadow (on weekends). But otherwise, you are one human-resources-guidelines-following mofo.

Possible hairy situation:

You’re late and your razor went by way of your lost luggage at the airport. Basically, you look like you pulled an all-nighter. Don’t bother pretending that the look was deliberate. She’s with the corporation, remember, and they don’t like padded truths or expense reports.


Belisa Vranich is a clinical psychologist, author and public speaker specializing in relationships and sex. She is also the sexpert at Fox News (both online and on cable).

Style your hair productively -- For Men

Written By Jessica Lothstein for our content partner Men's Life Today -- Handpicked for you by our team.

Know your mop needs taming but don’t know where to begin? Start here, with our quick guide to men’s hair products -- and how to use them.

Gel, goop, putty, pomade … it’s all scary enough to make a guy’s hair stand up straight. But it doesn’t have to be that way -- unless that’s the look you want, of course. In truth, you only need to stock your arsenal with five different kinds of lotions and potions and know two rules on using them:

First, don’t use too much -- a dime-sized glob does the job for most guys. Second, the drier your hair, the stronger the hold. “The rule of thumb with any product is you’ll get a stronger hold if you apply it to drier hair,” says Chuck Olson, a New York-based hairstylist.

Here’s what to use to get the look you’re after:


Hair Cream

Level of hold: 1

What it does: This stuff feels like lotion and works as a light conditioner.

“Cream is good for reducing dryness and taming frizzy hair,” says Olson. “It gives shape without a lot of hold.”

What to do with it: After you get out of the shower, squirt the cream into your hands, run it through your wet hair and comb to distribute evenly.

Celebrity style icon: George Clooney

Pomade

Level of hold: 2

What it does: This is a cool product because it does everything: It offers hold, it defines, it adds shine and it has a slightly pasty feel. “This is the product for a really slicked-back look,” says Cori Randall, New York City-based hairstylist and instructor. “In the old days, it created a cement helmet-head appearance, but new water-based pomades create the same look without all the stiffness.”

What to do with it: For a wet and shiny look, apply it right after you get out of the shower. For a more natural look, wait until your hair is about 50 percent dry, then apply. “It’s also great for curly hair,” says Randall. “It’s a humectant (a moisture-retaining ingredient), so it keeps hair tamed and under control.”

Celebrity style icon: Andy Garcia

Paste

Level of hold: 3

What it does: “This is the magic stuff behind the I-spent-20-minutes-on-my-hair-to-look-like-I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look,” says Randall. It’s fiber-based and matte, so it’s good for creating texture and separation.

What to do with it: Put a dime-sized amount in your palms and rub your hands together vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds (you want to really warm it up). Then use your fingertips to apply it to your hair -- first at the roots, then at the tips.

Celebrity style icon: Robert Pattinson in Twilight

Goop or Putty

Level of hold: 4

What it does: Use this when you want some shine and a strong hold without all the crispiness. “It looks a little more natural than gels or pomades,” says Randall. It also has a more versatile finish -- you can go back and play with your hair and restyle it throughout the day.

What to do with it: Squirt a dime-sized glob into your hands, rub them together, then run them through your hair, starting at the roots and working outwards. If you want to create spikes or chunks, separate your hair into large sections and apply some extra goop to each section, focusing on the tips, with your fingertips.

Celebrity style icon: Brad Pitt

Gel

Level of hold: 5

What it does: “Gels are good for guys who want a strong hold,” says Olson. “On straight hair, it creates a really slicked-back look; on wavy locks and curls, it adds definition.” Bottom line: Gelled hair is going nowhere -- this stuff makes your locks feel almost crispy.

What to do with it: Use on just-showered hair for a wet look with lots of hold; or apply on dry hair, then blow-dry for a slightly more natural look.

Celebrity style icon: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight

Jessica Lothstein is a freelance writer and former editor at Best Life magazine. She writes on a range of subjects, including grooming and fashion.