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It was one of the most heartwarming (and hilarious) presentations of 2017’s #thebtcshow—Mark Bustos, Matty Conrad and Kevin Luchmun took the BTC stage together for the first time ever, and their debut marked (a few!) major milestones.

“It’s come full circle for me,” says Mark. “I remember being interviewed by Details and GQ Magazine and [Matty and I] were in the same article. The person interviewing me asked, ‘Who is your inspiration in the hair world?’ and I said Kevin Luchmun. And now we’re all together on one stage. It’s pretty incredible.”

The show also marked the official launch of Matty’s very own men’s grooming line—Victory Barber & Brand™. “There’s nowhere else I could have launched this thing,” shared Matty after the presentation. “BTC is family. Every time I come to one of these shows it’s like seeing my friends from summer camp. And [Mark and Kevin] are not just my best friends, but probably two of my biggest influences in this industry. The fact that they’re standing beside me on stage representing my brand…I can’t tell you how mind-blowing that is.”  

Of course, the morning also included plenty of men’s grooming tips and techniques. Here are just a few!

See all the photos from Victory’s presentation!

Here’s How to Use Thinning Shears 

Thinning shears? A necessary barbering tool, to be sure. But heed this warning from Matty: “They’re for texturizing and diffusing,” he says, “not ‘thinning.’” The number one rule to remember when you’re using this tool? Stay out of the root area. “That’s where thinning happens,” says Matty. “So just use them on the ends. That’s where texture happens.”

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Preserve The Corners 

One of the biggest things to keep in mind when doing a men’s haircut is that men have a square bone structure, so you must keep the haircut square. And the biggest part of that is preserving the corners.

Get This Look 

In the U.K., Kevin notes, men’s cuts are getting longer and longer, so he demoed a long-layered cut on his model. Working with a razor, Kevin created reverse graduation by overdirecting the hair straight out—removing weight and maintaining length. “The razor creates separation and texture, while enhancing natural movement,” Kevin notes. In the fringe area, he overdirected each section back toward a stationary point, then point-cut parallel to create texture. He left the middle slightly longer, which he says gives the cut more versatility.