Fashion Face-off Friday: Facial Hair

Well, folks, it's been about a million years since we had one of these fashion face-offs.  Our face-off of rich ladies went to Joo Won's mom in a landslide.  I heartily agree with that decision!

For this week's face-off, I have decided to break from the norm.  We usually cover trends that appear frequently in kdramas, but this time, I wanted to look at the lone wolves fighting against the pack.  And that's why I've chosen facial hair.

It wasn't until fairly recently that I noticed the consistent lack of facial hair on most kdrama leads.  Even in historical dramas (which I have excluded here for consistency), half of the men look like someone glued a few strands of fur to their chins and called it good.  I don't know if Korean men just tend to grow patchy facial hair or what, but I wanted to let those few guys who weren't clean-shaven have their moment in the spotlight.  I couldn't find any good full-on beards, so it's just goatees and shadow-staches for now!

Sorry, Yoochun.  You're not fooling anyone.

Now, I know that facial hair isn't everyone's cup of tea.  Personally, I can appreciate a decent amount of scruff.  In fact, I once based an entire Halloween costume--including sewing myself some neon green pleather pants--around my husband's innate talent for growing Wolverine-like sideburns.  I also tend to let mustaches slide because my husband thinks they are hilarious.  Exhibit A: His face in its currently mustachioed glory:

I know what you're all thinking.
How can so much awesome happen on one face?

In addition to spicing up boring family Christmas cards and making small children cry, facial hair can also make for some excellent jokes:

Source

Ok, ok, I'll stop now. If I have one weakness, it's mustache-related puns. Maybe it's because I share a birthday with Chuck Norris?

Let's meet our proud contenders!

Contender 1: Jo Guk (City Hall)

Cha Seung Won as Jo Guk was the one who reminded me that kdrama men can actually grow hair on their faces.  Maybe the drama writers only let it slide because of his status as a smarmy politician, but whatever the reason, he works that goatee for a full 20 episodes.

Contender 2: Tae Woong (The Snow Queen)

I haven't actually seen this drama, but I stumbled on a poster for it and decided it belonged in this battle.  I was genuinely surprised at how a little bit of stubble can transform ole baby-face Hyun Bin.

Contender 3: Han Yi Soo (Shark)

Shark pictures have been popping up all over Pinterest since the show started, and I swear that the characters are either crying or gazing into space in every. single. one.  Keeping in character, Kim Nam Gil rocks what I like to call the "sad stache."

Contender 4: Kim Hyun Jun (Iris)

Don't let the faintness of the facial hair fool you--a little bit can go a long way!  Lee Byung Hun actually has one of those faces that looks like it needs a mustache.  Even when he's clean shaven, I can see the ghosts of mustaches past dancing on his upper lip.  Besides, we all know that mustaches, when combined with a sweet pair of shades, have been scientifically proven to help you shoot people better.

So out of the few kdrama leads who actually grew their own scruff, who pulled it off the best?  Are there any of them who look better when they aren't clean-shaven?  Vote below!

Who Wore Facial Hair Best?
	Jo Guk (City Hall)
	Tae Woong (The Snow Queen)
	Han Yi Soo (Shark)
	Kim Hyun Jun (Iris)
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Fashion Face-Off Friday: Kdrama Battle of the Guyliner

It's been a while since we had a Fashion Face-off around here, so let's start by announcing the last results.  I have to admit that I was really, really surprised by this one.  In our "Hotties in Suits" competition, Cha Ji-heon from Protect the Boss won a decisive victory over the more formal suit-wearers.  Was it the Batman t-shirt?  Because if it was, I can totally get behind that.

For this week's Fashion Face-off, I'm going to go with men wearing eyeliner--also known as "guyliner." The male characters in kdramas often wear noticeable makeup (the OBVIOUS lipliner in a few dramas being the worst example), and guyliner has become something of an immediate indicator that a character is extra broody. As someone who mostly wears makeup for weddings and Halloween, I have to admit that seeing men outdoing my efforts in the makeup category is sometimes unnerving, but I've gotten to a point where I can handle it.

There were a lot of options in the guyliner category.  I tried to choose characters who consistently rock it as an integral part of their persona.  So, in the battle of the guyliner, who wore it best?  Or, if you don't love the guyliner, who pulls it off the most convincingly?

Contender 1: Joo Byung-hee from Shut Up Flower Boy Band

There is plenty of guyliner in this series, but we have to single out Joo Byung-hee because the guyliner is part of his soul.  Just read the subtitle in the screencap below:

That's right: the man basically has a guyliner manifesto.
That's gotta be worth some credit, right?

Contender 2: Min Tae-yeon in Vampire Prosecutor

As noted in my review of this series, the vampire elements aren't always at the forefront of the show.  That being said, the amount of guyliner on everyone's favorite blood-sucking prosecutor seems to be directly proportional to how vampire-ish he is being that day.  Does this mean that when he goes home to sulk in his fancy apartment, he stops to apply eyeliner first?

Sitting in a gigantic leather chair is just about the most vampire-ish thing you can possibly do.
 That would explain the smokey eye.

Contender #3: Hwang Tae-kyung in You're Beautiful

We get it.  You're emotionally constipated because you have a mean mom.  You're also in a band.  All of this naturally leads to a guyliner addiction.  We would do the same.

We don't know what you're doing either, but it seems to be working.

Contender #4: Vick in Iris

Sometimes we have to recognize that the villains are just as stylish as the good guys.  Just because T.O.P.'s character likes to kill people shouldn't invalidate his use of guyliner, okay?  In fact, maybe it makes it more justifiable.

Maybe if those eyes are the ones shooting you, it wouldn't be so bad?
On second thought, getting shot always sucks, regardless of makeup application.
Image Source

So who wore it best?  Vote in the poll below!

                                             

Kdrama Battle of the Guyliner
	Joo Byung-hee in Shut Up Flower Boy Band
	Min Tae-yeong in Vampire Prosecutor
	Hwang Tae-kyung in You're Beautiful
	Vick in Iris
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