courtesy of The Art and Science of Barbering (third edition) by L. Sherman Trusty, M.A.
Pointers on Designing Mustaches
It is not enough to know the scientific procedure of trimming and shaping mustaches.
The barber should be familiar with the applicable artistic principles, such as the following:
1 Turned down corners give a droopy effect.
2 Turned up corners give the effect of cheerfulness.
3 Straight lines are almost neutral as to sadness or cheerfulness of impression, but they convey honesty, reliability, conservative judgement and neatness.
4 A very small "eyebrow" mustache has a laughable proportion to an exceptionally large face; likewise, a large mustache is unproportional to a small face. Therfore the size of such an adornment must have some correspondence to the size of the face.
5 A mustache should never project over the edge of the upper lip. Such over-lapping conveys unneatness, uncleanness and weakness of character.
6 The length of mustache should not greatly exceed that of the upper lip.
7 A mustache should not be allowed to grow free as to outline, else it will look unkempt and unbalanced.
8 Generally, a mustache that covers the full bearded portion of the upper lip is too large to look artistic but there are exceptions to the rule.
9 The lower edge of the mustache should not always follow the edge of the lip- the edge may be made above the edge of the lip at both ends or all the way across, depending on the design chosen.
10 Radically turned up corners are clownish.
11 Twisted turned up or down corners are strictly sheikish and are worn mainly by the Beau Brummel type of men.
12 The corners should be slightly rounding on a squarelike face.
13 The corners should be somewhat squarish on a round face.
14 A mustache on a bald-headed man should be as large as his face will admit. Its size draws attention away from the baldness above, but a dainty little mustache in suchn a case would seem ridiculous because it would accentuate the baldness. This suggestion is especially applicable to a person with alopecia universalis.
15 A mustache should contain the elements of balance, symmetry, and character.
16 A person with a conspicuously large or scarred upper lip may advisedly wear a mustache.
