The Grooming Rules: Five ways to look and feel your best

One GQ editor takes you through some quick tips and grooming rules to help you feel your best.

Hair, skin, and scent. The holy trinity of grooming.

SKIN: Follow a grooming regime to address issues like oily skin or dryness. Remember, a tame beard is a good beard.

HAIR: Your hair reflects how well you take care of yourself. Short or long, straight or curly, your hair needs to reflect who you are.

SCENT: Pay attention to the fragrance you use. A lighter fragrance will always work better than one that lingers.

Here are my five styling rules:

Follow Your Instincts

No opinion is better than your own. Trust your instinct – if you feel a new look works on you, it probably does. Put your look together, identify the problem areas, remove any pieces that don't work and replace them with what makes you feel confident.

Keep It Classic

Stylish men stick to the classics and recognise that timeless styles always work better. This however shouldn’t stop you from experimenting. You can build a wardrobe for yourself by mixing older pieces with new trends. For instance, a pair of brown boots with a blue suit.

Keep An Eye On Colour

Always pick clothes that compliment your natural skin tone. Black and white are universally neutral and will work on most people. Dark colours make you look slimmer and leaner while light colours will make you look wider. Add a pop of colour to brighten any fit.

Understand Your Body Shape

Understanding your body type is important. Your body type and shape should always take preference over trends. The trick is to highlight your 'assets'. If you have a nice long neck, wear tops that will make the eye travel towards the neck and shoulder area. A good way to do this, for example is by wearing a V-neck T-shirt.

Accessorise Like No One Is Watching

Besides the clothes you wear, accessories play a major role in your fits. Everything from the eyewear down to your shoes gets noticed. Ensure your watch is always on point, the belt is resting right at the centre, your socks match. Be sure any bag or phone you carry isn’t looking old or worn out too, for finished look.

Written by Bilal Muhammad.

This article originally appeared on GQ Middle East.