Hindsight is 20/20.

There are dozens of ways out there to lose money if you're not careful, and many of them will happen to you when you're in your teens.

More than a few people you know, perhaps yourself as well, look back on themselves at age 18 and wonder "How did I not manage to save more money?"

You had an income, no dependents, few expenses, maybe even no rent as well, and yet you weren't able to start putting money away or take your first steps to getting wealthy.

The answer is that you've learned a lot about money since that age and if you were put in the same situation again you'd be able to do much, much better.

In this light, we present to you the top 10 things we all wished we knew about money when we were just 18.

1. Forget 'get rich quick' and work on getting rich slow.

Don't be impatient. You might look around and see some of your friends driving nice cars, going on big vacations, and buying good tickets to all the best sporting events. Chances are they're digging themselves into debt doing so (or they're doing it all on mommy and daddy's dime).

Most of us have to earn it. We have to pay our dues and save our pennies. The most valuable thing a young person can get from an employer isn't the paycheck, it's the experience. So take advantage of all the opportunities your employer offers.

Volunteer for projects even if you won't be directly compensated for them. If your employer will pay for you to take classes or earn professional designations, then jump on that as well. It's not the sexiest or quickest way to get rich, but the odds are so much more in your favor than playing the lottery.

2. Save for retirement.

This is the goal that might seem very far away, but it's also probably the easiest one to undertake because so many employers provide plans like 401(k)s that allow you to save money directly out of your paycheck. If your employer offers to match your contributions then you need to contribute at least enough to get the maximum match.

If you don't work for a company that has a plan like this then set up your own individual retirement account (IRA) with one of the larger mutual fund companies. If you're young, a better option might even be a Roth IRA. You can always access the money you contribute to a Roth IRA in the event of an emergency, and the money you earn on your investment grows tax-free, so you can start planning for your retirement early.

3. Set mid-range goals.

Once you're on firm footing, with your bills paid up, your credit score in good shape, and your emergency fund established, it's time to start saving. And the first things you ought to think about are your mid-range goals.

get married? Go back to school for an advanced degree? Start your own business? Take a year off and travel the world? You have the freedom to plan for any one of these things. But to bring them to reality, you're going to need to start setting aside at least 5% of your pay per month.

Consider putting this money in something that might provide a little more growth than your money-market fund. Some of the bigger mutual fund companies have conservative asset-allocation funds which should give you better growth but protect you in the event of a stock market crash.

4. Set up an emergency fund.

When it comes to falling victim to an emergency, it's not a question of "if," it's a question of "when." When will you suddenly lose your job, get hit with a big auto or home repair bill, get sick, or have a close relative get sick?

Experts have always advised on setting aside three to six months' worth of living expenses in an account that you can access quickly. That seems hard to do for some, but you can start building that emergency fund with monthly transfers from your checking account into your bank's money market fund or an online account.

5. Track your spending.

"I don't know where it all goes." That's one of the most common quotes you'll hear from people who have a spending problem. If you're one of them, then do yourself a favor: find out where it all goes.

You might not need to track every penny, but you should know where the bulk of your income is going. Check out mint.com or even your bank's website. They have the tools to help you track your spending and set goals for yourself when you need to cut back in certain areas.

6. Build up your credit score.

At an early age (college or your early 20s) you should get a credit card and use it. Wait. Isn't that like telling a college kid to try crack?

For some kids, yes, a credit card is free money and they treat it like such — running up huge balances that they can't pay off. But for young people with their act together, using a credit card in a sensible way (charging something and then paying it off immediately) will actually boost their credit rating and make it more likely that they can get a mortgage or car loan in the future.

A bad credit score, on the other hand, can haunt you. Some employers use them to screen applicants and landlords can deny renting to you if you they don't like your credit history. So choose wisely.

7. Prioritize your bills.

If you have a mortgage or a car payment, make sure those bills are paid on time each month. Pay them before all other bills. Why? Because they're secured, which means the money you owe on them is backed by collateral (the car you drive or the house you're living in). If you fall too far behind those payments, the bank can come and take away your collateral (that's called foreclosing on the house or having the repo man show up for your car).

Falling off on these payments could also potentially damage your credit rating more than other late payments. Have these payments transferred automatically from your checking account each month and rest easy.

8. Think twice before acquiring a new car.

Who doesn't love the smell of a new car? Who doesn't love the freedom a car gives you? That freedom allows you to step out your front door with keys jingling and go anywhere you want, whenever you want.

Unfortunately, freedom isn't free, and neither are cars. The payment alone (lease or purchase) could run you $300 to $400 per month — on top of gas, routine maintenance, insurance, and registration. If you absolutely need a car for work, look for a quality used vehicle and save on wear and tear by driving as little as possible. In most large cities, public transportation is relatively cheap and convenient. An even cheaper alternative is a bike — and that comes with the added benefit of physical fitness.

9. Be aware of fees.

If you pay late on your credit card you'll end up owing at least an additional $35. If you use another bank's ATM, that could be almost $5. Let the parking meter run out and you're looking at another $25.p

All of these fees have one thing in common: They're avoidable and can add up to another $100 or more each month. Pay attention to the little things (like due dates and the time on your meter). Avoid pesky fees, and use that money for things you actually benefit from.

10. Share expenses with a roommate.

Living alone has its advantages. Nobody leaves dirty dishes around, has late-night after parties or complains when you do. You don't have to compromise your lifestyle, but for the sake of your financial health, compromise. Having a roommate means you get a 50% discount on your rent and utilities. For most people, that represents a savings of at least a couple of hundred dollars each month.

SEE ALSO: What The Founder Of TOMS Wishes He Knew About Money In His 20s

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In space, nobody can hear you scream. Except, of course, for the handful of people working alongside you in a cramped office-living space hybrid that lacks a garden where you can go to get some headspace.

If you think your place of work is a pressure cooker, spare a thought for astronauts like Chris Hadfield, former commander of International Space Station.

He spent five months aboard the ISS between 2012 and 2013, during which time he became famous back on Earth, not least for his knack for social media and a zero-G version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." For that mission (and two prior shuttle missions), Hadfield spent a great deal of time preparing his team and working out how best to work alongside one another.

Office politics may be annoying or unproductive here on terra firma. In space, losing the trust of your colleagues (or just pissing them off) can quickly become a matter of life and death. "A large part of it is laying the groundwork in advance," Hadfield told AskMen. "If you wait until desperate straits then you require desperate measures."

After retiring in 2013, Hadfield realized that many of the lessons he'd learned during his NASA career were transferrable to terrestrial life. And earlier this year he wrote many of them down in a memoir titled "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth." The book is a trove of good advice on everything from personal development to survival, but he also knows a hell of a lot about getting the job — any job — done.

After spending so much time off it, Hadfield may just be the best career coach on the planet. Below, he shares his best tips for teamwork, setting goals and dealing with difficult colleagues. Houston, no problems here.

Shared goals should be like a clock on the wall. 

As a commander of a spaceship I invested years in trying to build a good working environment. My way to that is to identify a common goal. You know when a bunch of people are sitting in a room but always looking up at the clock on the wall? What I always endeavored was to give people a common set of objectives, sort of in place of that clock on the wall. So when people are trying to decide on their priorities, they could easily remind themselves.

Survive the job, love the work. 

For us, objective number one was keep each other alive. That trumps everything, the prime directive. Number two is we want to keep the spaceship healthy. We're willing to sacrifice the spaceship to keep ourselves alive, but assuming we're all going to live the next thing is to keep the spaceship healthy. Number three is the one that's surprising: when we finish this whole thing, the four and a half years of training in advance and then the flight itself, every single one of us is going to want to do this again, immediately. Run around the back of that line and take the ride again. I want people to keep that in mind.

Constantly ask people this question: What would you like to be doing?

What aren't we giving you that you would like to have? One of my team once said they'd love to study Japanese. So I said, "OK let's enable that, find you a tutor, make that part of your workday." It's useful for them to see that they were supported in something that wasn't at the core of their job. But at the same time, I recognized that if one of my team members could speak Japanese, we could work with the Japanese space agency.

If things do fall apart, get people together. 

It takes a long time but I remember I was counseling one crew having some personal difficulties, having a real miserable time getting ready for a spaceflight. One of the crew took several hours sitting and talking, peeling back layers of what was at the core of their concern, until we got to the nuggets. When we had those we could say, "What change do you need to see in order to feel like we're moving towards shared success?" That was the start of getting well for that crew and they eventually succeeded and had a good six months on the base.

Don't let other people's insecurities affect your work. 

I once worked as CAPCOM [an astronaut's primary contact at Mission Control] with an astronaut who was very confrontational, arrogant, and would publicly call myself (and others) into question. One of the other astronauts actually clarified my thinking on that — he said, "You know, I think he must have been dropped on his head as a child." It's kind of a silly thing to say but it helped me see it differently.

I actually pictured him as a small child crying because of some injustice that had happened to him. The problem is his, not mine. If I change my own self-image or behaviour because of that person's problems, then he has basically won and I've lessened myself as a result. It still bugs me that someone behaves that way and that it causes the emotional reaction in myself that I don't like, but it gave me a mechanism to deal with it.

Harness the power of negative thinking. 

I call it visualizing failure. It works in space, in the office, anywhere. An example: Almost all of us drive cars, and at some time you'll be driving on a motorway and one of your front tires will blow — it's just visualizing a failure that is liable to happen. Knowing that at some point in your life one of your front tires is going to blow, what is the right thing to do?

Most people just cross their fingers and hope it won't happen to them, and yet five minutes research on the internet will tell you whether your car is a front wheel drive or a four wheel drive, if it's got skid brakes, whether you should decelerate, downshift, steer towards or away.

Why not, instead of looking at videos of cats, look up what is the right thing to do? It's not so much being negative or pessimistic, it in fact makes you calmer and more optimistic because you have a readiness for the untoward or the unexpected to happen. I take that approach in all parts of life.

Trust is based on clear communication.

My fundamental instinct is that you can trust most people, but you have to clearly let them know what it is you're trusting them with. And then of course you have to go back and see how things are going some time later. Trust but verify. It's worked out well for me. Sometimes I'll get burned by someone devious, but more often the trust has been let down where I've poorly communicated what it was I was trusting somebody to do. If you are suspicious and mistrustful of people, that's contagious and I think always ends up being a negative.

Celebrate every victory, however small. 

A few events of my life have been very public and very glorious — doing a spacewalk, my picture being on the five dollar bill in Canada. It's a ridiculous level of focus on a few brief events in my life, and if you haven't been there for my whole life like I have, those events look like they're the ones that have defined my life.

You've done a spacewalk, so everything else must suck! But it's not that way at all. My wife put it all into perspective: towards the end of my 21 years serving in the NASA astronaut corps, we started dissecting what it is about this life that we love so much. It's not spacewalking, because I've only spacewalked for 15 hours out of 21 years.

We realized it was a whole bunch of factors and not just the occasional shiny moment that made the whole thing fun and interesting and challenging. It is important to have that finish line in mind, or the rocket launch or whatever your particular ambition might be, but don't wait until that moment to feel victorious. Feel victorious for the small personal victories otherwise you'll feel like a failure most of the time.

Chris Hadfield's latest book is called "You Are Here: Around The World in 92 Minutes," published by Macmillan.

SEE ALSO: The Productivity Secret That Astronauts, Samurai, And Navy SEALs All Use

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Predicting food trends is like writing movies for teenagers. You could try throwing together a screenplay for “Dystopian Teenage Vampire Musical,” but by the time you’re done Hollywood will be have moved on to “funny athletic mermaids save the world.” 

Food predictions can either lag way behind (cronuts will be hot!) or are way too far ahead of their time (the iPhone will be able to send flavors!)

So here, we’re aiming for the middle ground. The following dishes have been around long enough to show they have legs, but are only now starting to spread. These are the five foods you can expect to eat this year.

Kombucha

My wife is happiest in the woods, never wears makeup, and plans to give birth at home, so it’s not surprising that she’s talking about kombucha. What’s surprising is that everyone else is. The “booch”, as a handful of people who probably should stop talking are calling it, is THE fermented drink of 2015.

The surprising part about this, of course, is that kombucha is tea made from a colony of bacteria and yeast. Like “oozing”, this is a description that’s bad when you hear it from your doctor but good when you hear it from your chef. Kombucha is sweet and tangy, and has probiotic compounds similar to the ones you find in yogurt.

Athletes Eat, a sports-themed health food restaurant (!) in St. Louis, Missouri (!!), is just one of many serving kombucha on tap. It’s also sold in bottles, and even gas stations are getting into the act. If tofu was this popular, soybean farmers would rule the world.

Housemade Sausage

What do you get when “farm-to-table” meets “bacon everywhere”? Artisanal sausage, a trend you can expect to see spreading in 2015 as trashy meat goes high-end. In fact, San Diego has a whole restaurant dedicated to the art: Salt & Cleaver, whose tagline of “sausage * beer * cocktails” perfectly captures the zeitgeist. Their sausage options include duck and bacon, cilantro-lime chicken, ribeye, and fried shrimp and crab.

An added bonus to this trend is that we’ll get to hear terms like “locally raised”, “free range”, and “GMO-free” applied to a food usually associated with stadium football and Oktoberfest. If you’re into highbrow comedy, this may be the only year you can show a chef a tube of fat laced with sodium and have him tell you — with a straight face — that it’s healthy.

Gourmet Toast

It happened to coffee. It happened to water. So in a way, it’s only fitting that it should happen to bread too. When something perfectly cheap and perfectly simple becomes a hot commodity, it’s never quite normal again.

I guess, in a way, it’s our fault. We get what we pay for. I talked to two girls last summer who thought drinking tap water instead of bottled was weird (if you can’t see what’s wrong with that, ask a friend born before 1980). Maybe we should have seen the toast coming when we started paying $8 for small jars of salt. Well, it’s too late now.

Toast is $4 at the Mill, one of San Francisco’s hot toast places. $4. Sure, some of these are essentially open-faced sandwiches, with spreads like avocado or homemade preserves. But others are simpler, with thick cut house bread, boutique creamery butter, and—please—I really can’t go on here.

Fair warning: they’re coming for milk next.

Macarons

Anything that shows up on Gossip Girl, at New York Fashion Week, and in my little sister’s apartment is clearly on the right track. This naturally gluten-free, brightly colored cookie sandwich is crunchy, chewy, and sweet. It’s also everywhere.

People have been writing about this trend since at least 2010. Since then, there’s been a steady stream of articles declaring that macarons are the new cupcakes. Macarons may not be new, but they’re only getting more popular. In December 2014, Chicago opened Sugar Fixe Macaron, its first shop dedicated solely to the cookie. Houston launched Bite Macarons in 2013. New York, Los Angeles, and other cities have similar businesses as well. We’ve already seen Cheetos macarons and ketchup macarons. This year, we’ll see them spreading to the masses.

Cassoulet

No one’s calling it “a paradigm shift” or “the next new thing”. You won’t see a Cassoulet and Artisanal Cocktail Food Truck Zombie Crawl on your local college campus. And yet, I’m calling cassoulet as the sleeper hit of the year.

It’s a slow-cooked French casserole made with beans and meat. The beans are cooked until soft and creamy and the meat (usually some combination of confit duck, goose, and sausage) adds a deep, rich, flavor. St. Paul, Minnesota’s Meritage serves a cassoulet, as does Chicago’s Chez Moi and the Pastiche Bistro and Wine Bar in Milwaukee.

Like that girl you’ve been friends with since grade school, cassoulet might seem old and familiar. But in reality, it’s what your heart’s been looking for all along.

More from AskMen:

• Super Bowl Recipes
• Crazy Chip Flavors
• Food Trends 2015
• Beer In 2015

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DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's The Life on Facebook

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I'm officially old enough to give advice, which is a daunting fact unto itself. Granted, I wouldn't try and advise about much. But in a few key areas, at the wise old age of 32, I've become somewhat of an elder statesman.

Sadly, one of those areas is the topic of squandering money, and subsequently obliterating credit. Shamefully, when it comes to the aforementioned, I'm a pro.

In my 20s, I was far from smart. Actually, no, that's not entirely fair to other "far from smart" folks. I was a bona fide moron. Through the duration of that 10-year period, I swam in a veritable sea of mistakes; a sea with perpetual head-high waves generated by nothing but immaturity and impulse.

If you'll indulge me, here are a few idiotic examples.

By the age of 25, I had driven cross-country on three separate occasions. When the young, dumb and income-barren embark on journeys such as this, you'd assume they do so with a fixed income in mind, right? Wrong.

During the first of those trips, three friends and I circumnavigated the country for a month straight. On a collective quest for booze, women and adventure, we ate and drank with reckless abandon; as if the trip was financed by Jay Z. He didn't camp. We ate no Ramen noodles. We didn't scour the highways for the cheapest hotels.

On that trip, I, at the impulsive age of 21, officially became a credit card user. I also, not coincidentally, became a credit card abuser.

While I'll always be appreciative of that month, it kicked off an awful pattern in my life — one that would last roughly a decade.

I don't want to bore you with all of my tales of monetary woe, but here are some CliffsNotes:

At the age of 23, in Las Vegas of all places, I took out a credit card cash advance for $1,200. While my bank account was roughly as empty as your average Sin City stripper's soul, I somehow justified turning to my credit card. What did I do with that money? I'll be damned if I know. It sure as sh*t didn’t come home with me, nor did I use it to win more. All I do know is that taking the cash advance drove my interest rate through the roof.

In 2004, for no reason whatsoever, a few friends and I decided to move to California. I put the moving truck, all $2,400 of it, on a credit card. Why would I move 3,000 miles away if I didn't even have $3,000 in my bank!? Oh yeah, and I moved home five months later.

While this column and others may lead you to believe otherwise, I'm actually a college graduate. But did I begin paying off my student loans directly after graduating in 2005? Hell no, I didn't! Defer! Defer! Defer!

One time, when I was 25, while shopping at Long Island's Roosevelt Field Mall, I received a call from my credit card company. They thought there may have been some fraudulent charges posted to my account. Nope, they were wrong. No fraud. It was just stupid ol' me, regretfully spending money like someone who had just boosted a MasterCard.

I. Was. An. Idiot.

Late payments. Debt settlement companies. Loans from my parents. I've been through it all. In my mid-20s, I was around $20,000 in debt. When I was younger, I treated available credit like it was points in a video game. College kids, younger people, stupid people, I implore you — do not do this. It's insane, and it will come back to bite you in your ass. 

Being in debt is an awful, suffocating feeling. It weighs on you. It haunts you. Hell, want to know why 99% of hotels in Las Vegas don't have balconies? Because they're afraid people will lose all their money and jump.

Seriously.

Luckily, from the age of 27 on, I've been able to rebound nicely. As I write this, looking down upon Gotham while sitting atop the roof of Hoare Manor, I'm unspeakably happy that I dug myself out of debt. I'm also grateful. I was fortuitous enough to land a string of jobs that pay me quite well. And, yes, I meant to pluralize the word jobs. That's one of the positives that come with working as a writer — the ability to create multiple revenue streams. But believe me when I tell you, I had to work hard to get to where I am today monetarily. Really hard.

But I shouldn't have had to. If I were responsible in my early 20s, I wouldn't have had to use the lion's share of the money I made in 2009 and 2010 toward paying off bills.

But what if I didn't land some great jobs? What if I never started screenwriting? Hell, what if I dedicated all my time toward writing, but then it never paid off? 

What if I didn't bail myself out of credit card jail? 

I live a comfortable lifestyle right now, but my credit score still reflects the mistakes of years past. Whenever I want to rent an apartment, I have some serious explaining to do.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Landlord. Yeah, no, I was a real dumb f*ck when I was younger. Can I live in your house now?"

And who knows what would happen if I wanted to actually buy Hoare Manor!

Kids, trust me, do as I say, not as I did. Take a preemptive strike toward eliminating one major adult annoyance. You'll so genuinely thank me for it later if you do.

Getting older is hard enough. You don't need bad credit adding to it.

Don't be like me. Don't be a dumbf*ck. 

More from AskMen:

• When To Spend Money Foolishly In Your Twenties (And When Not To)
• How To Save $350 By April For An Apple Watch
• Fixing Your Credit Rating
• Personal Finance Goals

SEE ALSO: These life changes could bring you from 'scraping by' to having money to spare

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NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do

This year, instead of doing its annual “most desirable women in the world” list, Askmen focused on what makes women outstanding in their own right. 

We enlisted experts from different publications, and then asked Askmen readers to vote on their top choices. We then tallied the votes, weighed what the judges had to say, and thought long and hard about which outstanding women were affecting our lives right now. 

Here are the top 20. 

20. Nicki Minaj

Don't make the mistake of not taking Nicki Minaj seriously. Despite her pop hits, she's proven she can out-rap every man in the business when she's so inclined, and 2014's critically acclaimed The Pinkprint saw doing so — while still showing a more vulnerable side. Oh, and topping the charts, too.

"I'm not chasing anything, I'm just doing me... The Pinkprint was just about me showing what the culture should be about. I think the culture should be about skill. Practice makes perfect, and I really worked at that: whether hearing a beat, knowing what my audience wanted from me, knowing what kinds of beat I shined on."— Nicki Minaj for the #CRWN interview series

FACT: Minaj has stated that she had to learn to be a “vulnerable woman” and open up about her emotions for her most recent album, The Pinkprint. — Yahoo

19. Veronica Roth 

The YA author of the Divergent trilogy became a bestseller at 24, when she was not much older than her target audience. With another sci-fi series in the works (not to mention a second installment of the Divergent film franchise), she's poised to be 2015's most successful scribe.

There are a lot of people around me who are doing a lot of remarkable things, so to me, I don't know, [this book] is just a thing I did. It worked out well, which is very fortunate, [but] the thing about books is that you don't know how people are going to receive it... so the way I feel about it is, it was just kind the right time and it found the right people. — Veronica Roth to Huffington Post

FACT: Because of the stigma against genre fiction, Roth was reluctant to share excerpts from her Divergent series at the Northwestern creative writing program she attended. — Huffington Post

18. Ava DuVernay

With "Selma," DuVernay became the first black female director to ever receive an Oscar nom for Best Picture. Though the Academy snubbed her for Best Director, the film was a tour de force that DuVernay willed into existence, despite being unable to use MLK's most famous speeches for legal reasons. Either way, film fans should be excited for her next project.

The "first" of it all is the bittersweet part. I'm certainly not the first black woman deserving of this. You can't tell me that since 1943 there's not been another black woman who's made something worthy of this kind of recognition. But for whatever reason it hasn't happened. [I just hope] that we get through all the “firsts”' that we can just get to the good stuff and that people can just make their work and move on. — Ava DuVernay to USA Today

FACT: Oprah commissioned DuVernay to work on a TV adaptation of the novel Sugar Queen. — The Guardian

17. Amy Poehler 

Poehler is the first lady of funny. She can roast a celeb like no other (see this year's Golden Globes), bring depth to the craziest of characters (see Sisters, with her lady-bro Tina Fey, out later this year), and write a must-read, ROFL-able memoir (see Yes Please). Wait, did we mention her awesome site Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, dedicated to improving young women's lives?

"Girls have to fight against a lot of the same stuff we did growing up...peer pressure, exploitation, etc. But what worries me the most is this trend that caring about something isn't cool. That it's better to comment on something than to commit to it. That it's so much cooler to be unmotivated and indifferent. Our culture can get so snarky and ironic sometimes and we kind of wanted Smart Girls to celebrate the opposite of that." — Amy Poehler to Feminist

FACT: Poehler runs her own YouTube series called “Ask Amy,” in which she dispenses wit and wisdom to her fans. — Huffington Post

16. Laverne Cox 

Laverne's role as transgender Orange Is the New Black inmate Sophia Burset has gone a long way toward reshaping the conversation about trans rights. Getting a transgender woman to play a transgender character was a huge step in the right direction, and the subsequent Time magazine cover on which she posed only helped amplify that. The struggle for LGBTQ equality may be far from over, but Cox's success is inspiring, and a sign of more changes to come.

"I think there are more media representations that young trans people can look to and say, 'That’s me,' in an affirming way. There’s just so many resources out there now that it makes you feel like you’re less alone and gives some sort of sense of, “OK, this is who I am and this is what I’m going through.” — Laverne Cox to Time

FACT: Cox was the first transgender woman to grace the cover ofTime magazine. —Yahoo

15. Tracy Chou

Tracy Chou is a software engineer and tech lead at Pinterest, but she's also known for being outspoken about gender inequality in the tech world. In 2014, she pushed startups and tech giants alike to publish their diversity stats and got major results, with Microsoft, Apple, Google and dozens more releasing their (sometimes depressing) company demographics. — Chloe Albanesius, executive editor, news & features, PCMag.com 

"Our vision is to help people live inspired lives — people across the world, from all walks of life. We only stand to improve the quality and impact of our products if the people building them are representative of the user base and reflect the same diversity of demography, culture, life experiences and interests that makes our community so vibrant." — Tracy Chou on diversity at Pinterest

FACT: Chou isn’t just an expert coder — she also loves rock climbing. It relieves stress and allows her to push herself. — Vogue

14. Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling has gone from being the only female writer on the staff of The Office (yup, she wrote for it and was a cast member) to being the star and director of her own sitcom, The Mindy Project, now in its third season. She's also a role model for people of color, who have been bafflingly underrepresented on mainstream TV in recent years.

"I think I've always wanted to be a role model, and I think ... everyone should try to live their life like they'd like to be a role model. I think it's like the thing keeping me out of jail. ... It's good for me mentally, selfishly, and it's also nice to try to do that for, especially, younger women." — Mindy Kaling to NPR

FACT: Before her big break on The Office, Kaling made a name for herself parodying Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who later starred in a Super Bowl commercial with her. — Yahoo

13. Camille Leblanc-Bazinet 

"Fittest Woman on Earth" is a hefty title, but after winning the 2014 Reebok Games, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet can safely make that claim. The Quebec native stands just 5'2" but packs a lot of muscle due to her stringent workout routine and tireless work ethic. It's a family affair for Camille, as her parents own a CrossFit gym and she is often seen exercising with her sisters and brother. If that's not enough, she also studies chemical engineering at the University of Sherbrooke in her spare time. — Andy Gray, senior producer, SI.com 

"I see a lot more girls and women, and even guys, all of a sudden now look up to me to help them become a better version of themselves. I think that's the coolest thing." — Camille Leblanc-Bazinet

FACT: Leblanc-Bazinet loves to spot other CrossFitters in public, usually recognizing them by their shoes. — AskMen

12. Michelle Obama

In Michelle Obama's final full year as FLOTUS, she’s continuing her tireless work to improve Americans’ lives through diet and exercise, a cause that all too often goes ignored considering its serious effects on the health of the nation. She also manages to make time for goofy appearances in viral videos alongside the likes of LeBron and Beyoncé. If there’s one way to get through to lazy kids, that’s it. And, call us crazy, but if the first first lady to later be president isn't Hillary...

"My education is the starting point for every opportunity in my life. When we put limits on women's lives, we stifle their full potential." — Michelle Obama for Let Girls Learn

FACT: The U.S. government has allocated $250 million for the Let Girls Learn project, which was created by Michelle and Barack Obama. — Huffington Post

11. Ashley Graham 

Graham’s historic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ad and well-earned spot on IMG’s roster has made her one of the most recognized plus-size models in the world. But her advocacy work with ALDA, a coalition of models who aim to expand the definition of beauty, is what really makes the 27-year-old stunner one to watch. Having smart, confident and cool women like Graham promoting body equality and self-acceptance is what the fashion industry needs. Not only does she represent a long overdue shift in beauty standards, but she is also proof that you don’t have to fit into anyone’s box. — Dana Oliver, executive fashion & beauty editor, Huffington Post 

"I know my curves are sexy and I want everyone else to know that theirs are too. There is no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt." — Ashley Graham for Swimsuits for All

FACT: Graham’s lingerie commercials were once banned on FOX and ABC. — Huffington Post

10. Serena Williams 

Best female tennis player in the world? All in a day's work. How about this for longevity — she's also the oldest to ever occupy the No. 1 position. One side, pretenders to the throne. Serena Williams has won four gold medals in women's tennis, a record matched only by her twin sister, Venus, and just won the Australian Open earlier this year. Since that's not enough to keep her busy, Williams runs her own fashion line and is reportedly working on a script for a TV series. Game, set, watch. 

We already know about her skills on the tennis court. But over the past year, she's softened her off-the-court image and become one of my favorite professional athletes. — Andy Gray, senior producer,SI.com 

FACT: Serena refused to compete at Indian Wells ever since fans relentlessly booed her and her sister there in 2001, but returned this year. — Rolling Stone

9. Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence is a Hollywood rarity: box-office dynamite (Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 was the second-highest-grossing film of 2014), genuine acting chops (one Oscar and two other noms at just 24) and a totally genuine personality. When hackers leaked nude photos in 2014, she condemned them strongly and helped reroute the narrative on celebrity nude leaks. Next up? She could do pretty much anything she wants at this point, but get ready for Mockingjay - Part 2 in November — it's going to be a big one.

"Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice." — Vanity Fair profile

FACT: JLaw loves to sing, but she claims she sounds “like a deer that has been caught in a fence.” — Huffington Post

8. Amal Clooney

Of course, marrying some famous Hollywood actor will put anyone in the spotlight, but Amal Clooney, née Alamuddin, is a perfect example of the kind of woman who doesn't get enough respect, considering her brains, talent and the work she's put into achieving success in her field. She's a high-powered human rights lawyer who boasts as much brains as glamor, and we're glad the world got to know her a little better this year. 

Amal Clooney came into the spotlight this year when she married George Clooney, but she made a name for herself long before her wedding as a top human rights lawyer. She has fought to protect children from sexual violence in conflict zones and investigated war crimes in Gaza. — Jennifer Polland, senior editor, lists & travel, Business Insider 

FACT: Amal Clooney has been threatened with arrest in Egypt for publicly exposing flaws in their judicial system. — Yahoo

7. Beyoncé

If anyone runs the world these days, it may be the fierce Beyoncé. A relatively quiet year for her still included a lucrative tour with her husband (and accompanying celeb-studded short film), rebranding herself as a genuine feminist icon, and, with all due respect to Beck, an empty spot on the mantelpiece where her Best Album Grammy should have been. What happens when she drops her next album? The roar of fans will be deafening.

Humanity requires both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. So why are we viewed as less than equal? — Beyoncé's essay for the Shriver Report

FACT: Beyoncé is a big supporter of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. — Huffington Post

6. Elizabeth Holmes

We've always thought in terms of making a million by age 30, but Elizabeth Holmes is thinking more in terms of billions — 4.5 of them, to be exact. The 31-year-old's health tech company, Theranos, has made her the youngest female billionaire in the world, but her goal is to completely change the landscape of how Americans think about their health by making blood tests fast, simple and affordable. In this case, convenience actually can save lives.

"Who likes having blood drawn? No one, that's who. I can only hope that Elizabeth Holmes' invention makes its way to my doctor's office one day, so I can avoid the stress of watching a nurse hunt for veins (and the occasional fainting spell)." — Chloe Albanesius, executive editor, news & features, PCMag.com 

FACT: Holmes is the youngest woman and third youngest person on the list of global billionaires. — Business Insider

5. Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn currently holds the world record for women's World Cup skiing wins and just bagged her 64th. This makes her, yes, the greatest female skier of all time, and just second-best ever if you include the other half of the population. She's also a warrior who has survived injury and personal upheaval and keeps coming back strong. When it comes to taking down a mountain, there is simply no one on Vonn's level.

"Known as the most successful female ski racer in American history — and quickly gaining on "all time" status — Lindsey Vonn is one of the few world-class, four-event ski racers." — U.S. Ski Team official site

FACT: Vonn is represented by Under Armour, while her boyfriend Tiger Woods is sponsored by Nike — and the pair often argue over who has the better brand backing them. — AskMen

4. Taylor Swift

Their fates may be forever entwined, but it's coincidental that Taylor Swift's career arc is starting to look a bit like Kanye's. After a strong first few albums that made her a fan favorite within her own genre, she's broken through to the mainstream to become a genuine megastar, and there's no looking back. Her LP 1989 was the best-selling album of 2014, and she took on the role of brand ambassador for New York City.

"It’s rare for an artist on Taylor Swift’s superstar level to create so many unique experiences that consistently give back to the fans. Despite Taylor’s absolute rise to stardom in the past several years, she’s never neglected her fans, growing closer to them year after year." — VEVO VP Content & Programming JP Evangelista

FACT: Swift is known for her incredible relationship with fans, which included offering one heartbroken woman relationship advice over Tumblr. — Huffington Post

3. Kim Kardashian

Those who know Kim from Keeping Up With the Kardashians might be quick to write her off. But if you step back and take a look at the facts, Kim has managed to flip Z-level fame into A-list status through pure business savvy. TV show, check. Perfume line? Check. Coffee-table book? Check. Biggest mobile app of 2014? Check, please. If anyone could break the internet, it's Kim K. She's a force to be reckoned with.

"I hope to have a bigger presence in the tech world. I love coming up with different app ideas, and I have a few more that are coming out. Once you get started and you have this creative bug of ideas that you want to get out, I feel like I've partnered with the right team, and now I have the creative outlet to make that happen." — Kim Kardashian to Adweek

FACT: Kim Kardashian is one of Time magazine's 30 most influential people online. — Huffington Post

2. Ronda Rousey

Whatever you do, don't tell Ronda Rousey she fights like a girl. For one, as the recent #LikeAGirl hashtag made abundantly clear, it's time to drop an antiquated insult like that. For two, if she fights like anything, she fights like a winner. Proof? Take her 14-second takedown of Cat Zingano at UFC 184 — the fastest in UFC history. Meanwhile, with no real rivals in sight, she's elbowing her way into pop culture, with upcoming roles in Furious 7 and Entourage. Ronda's on top of the world right now. Look out, everyone else.

"She's committed to growing the sport — and she downplays the whole role model thing, but there's no bigger role model in all of sports than this woman right here. And not just to little girls, not just to women, to men too." — UFC president Dana White

FACT: Rousey’s pre-fight breakfast is typically eggs, turkey bacon, spinach and... Himalayan salt. — Business Insider

1. Emma Watson 

Hermione Granger is courageous, loyal and moral to a fault — she embodies the best of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. So it's fitting that the little girl who was cast to play her back in 1999 would grow up to become a woman not so different from the fictional heroine she embodied. The 24-year-old Watson has noble pursuits in mind. Her alignment with the United Nations' HeForShe campaign has made her the face of feminism right now, and she's helping change the way men think about women. Now that's power.

"Emma Watson is so many incredible things at once — rich, successful, famous, stylish, beautiful, intelligent, personable, kind. And yet, rather than be content with a life of luxury, she's thrown her back into a serious social issue in an effort to shift the way our society treats women." — James Bassil, AskMen Publisher

FACT: Watson used to be labeled “bossy” for wanting to direct her school plays. — AskMen

See the full list at AskMen >

More from AskMen: 

• 19 reasons Emma Watson is just plain awesome and winning at life
• Here's why you shouldn't be in such a rush to lose weight
• 9 unique pieces guaranteed to take any room to the next level

SEE ALSO: The 30 Smartest Celebrities In Hollywood

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Tristan Walker got tired of this “second-class citizen experience.”

He was tired of searching for shaving products that didn’t work, tired of being sold a dream that the burning alcohol the barber in his local shop put on his face was actually helping.

Michael James marketed women’s beauty care products for two of the largest beauty care companies and had access to an endless array of products.

He still couldn’t find one that would have matched what he needs. AJ James had been sent tons of haircare products to review for his grooming blog.

He couldn’t use any of it.

How is this even possible? Could major brands simply be ignoring the needs of African American male consumers?

In 2014, the market for haircare products formulated for or marketed specifically to African-American consumers was an estimated $774 million in retail sales according to a report by Mintel. The same report found that black men are also more likely to use grooming products moisturizers, shower gels and facial cleaners. They’re also more likely to have facial hair, driving more need for maintenance products.

“You speak to any of these large incumbent manufacturers and what they’ll tell you, funny enough, is ‘we’re building for mass America,’ said Walker, founder and CEO of grooming company Bevel. “Mass America will look very different in 20 years.”

The problem, according to Walker, is money. Major manufacturers consider products made specifically for the African American male consumers or people of color a niche market when, in fact, the population of blacks, Asians and Hispanics are the fastest growing. The US Census Bureau projected the black population alone will reach 44.3 million by 2019. The Mintel report expected the spending power of black consumers to reach as high as $1.3 trillion by 2018.

“That’s important,” Walker said. “People need to jump on that train sooner rather than later.”

It’s not that Walker and Bevel are ahead of the curve. They respect it. Walker started Bevel because of his own struggles with shaving and specifically ingrown hairs and razor bumps. He walked to create a service that addressed the needs of people with course, curly hair. Multi-blade razors, alcohol-based aftershaves and water-heavy shaving creams are not items made for ethnic or minority consumers.

“We tend over-index and spend in every category in health and beauty but we still get those second-class citizen experiences when we walk through those doors. It’s crazy. We deserve better and [Bevel] has been growing really fast as a result of that.”

If African American consumers spend more on health and beauty products – but less on hair care products that aren’t marketed to consumers of color – there’s remains an opportunity for brands to break into an untapped market.

Michael James spent 10 years working for two different beauty companies during his time in brand management and extensive access to products, James, who is African American, couldn’t find anything that worked for his needs. That led him to launch Fredrick Benjamin Grooming, a natural hair care line designed for multicultural males.

James acknowledges that on a grand scale, men’s grooming and personal care is hot right now. More and more men are personalizing their grooming and becoming more educated about their particular needs. But the consumer is moving faster than the companies that are marketing to them. He says, it’s not just that mainstream companies are failing to address multicultural needs, they’re also missing the mark in advertising.

“They’re not showing us in the ads,” James said. “They may throw out some buzz words like razor bumps or ‘light for all types of hair.’”

His model at Fredrick Benjamin is to start with the consumer in mind and create a product focused on problem-solving. He says the mainstream companies, to some extent, do the same thing.

“They start with the consumer (in mind) too,” he said. “But it’s a different consumer.”

It appears these brands may be missing out on more than just in-store opportunities. African American consumers purchase nine times more ethnic beauty and grooming products on personal-hosted websites than any other ethnic group, according to a consumer report published by Nielsen. However, some believe that black consumers simply aren’t being directly marketed to.

“The fact of the matter is, are men of color truly represented inside of the men’s grooming industry?” No. Not at all,” said AJ James, founder of Ruggedly Groomed, a men’s grooming blog. “In my mind, not at all, and the sad part is that most men of color would say the same thing. If you look at the advertisements, if you look at the TV, you don’t really see (African American men) inside the advertisements.”

James says its nice that he receives tons of grooming products of sent to his home by mainstream brands. It’s not as nice that he ends up having to get rid of it because he simply can’t use it.

“You would think that a lot of bigger brands would focus in on men of color and say let’s make a line underneath our line that does focus on men of color,” he said. Not just black men but Middle Easterners and Latinos, because they can’t use a lot of these products.”

That goes back to Walker’s point. He says major brands don’t believe the incentive is there to build product lines for a specific “niche” market.

“There’s a different between long-term decision-making and short-term focus,” Walker said, adding that his company, Bevel, is in it for the long haul.

“Growth, when you’re a 50 billion-dollar company, you’ve got to make a brand that makes you a billion dollars in the first year of operation,” Walker said. “So if you consider a market opportunity to be niche you probably don’t believe for that specific new product that you’re going to create, that you can get to a billon dollars within a year and as a result of that, they’re not going to do it. So that’s the big reason. A lot of it is just incentive. If I’m building for mass America I can more easily get to that billion-dollar number a lot sooner.”

Join the conversation about this story »

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In the past few years, cocktail culture has moved towards the ornate and the complicated. 

Mixology. Handmade cocktails.

Drinks that cost $18 and have a giant spherical ice cube, a dash of organic, ethically sourced extract of goji berry and seven other ingredients.

That's one, increasingly popular way of doing things.

But there's another, better way to do it: using a few simple, quality, basic ingredients to make any number of terrific drinks.

AskMen's resident spirits animal, Robert Haynes-Peterson, has created the ultimate minimalist guide towards creating and serving incredible drinks with just the basics.

We call it Distilled: Straightforward Cocktails For Straightforward Men. Make sure to check out part two, Classic Cocktail Recipes, and part three, our guide to Home Bar Equipment.

Often the simplest approach is the best. Whether relaxing poolside, exhausted after work, or because your refrigerator contains only ketchup packets and a Mountain Dew, here are the best two-ingredient drinks made on the fly.

SEE ALSO: 6 delicious new foods with booze snuck in

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Garibaldi

There are fancier versions of this drink named after the famous Italian general, but it also works beautifully as a two-parter. For best results, squeeze fresh juice and use immediately.

1 oz Campari
1 to 3 oz Orange Juice as preferred

Combine ingredients over ice in a small juice glass. Stir well. Garnish with an orange wedge if desired, as done at the newly reopened Caffé Dante in Manhattan.

Gin & Tonic

This one is both a classic and a no-brainer. But the proportions, type of gin, type of tonic and the glass / ice on this can all change your drinking experience.

2 oz London Dry (or other) Gin
3 oz Fresh tonic water (Fever Tree, Q, Tomr’s, etc)

In a Collins glass or large Copa filled with cube ice, combine gin and tonic water (adjust the proportions to your tastes). Garnish with lime or lemon wedge, sprig of rosemary, slice of bacon, or just about anything you like.

Mezcal and Apple Juice

I was first introduced to this smoky-sweet shooter in Oaxaca, Mexico. You can get more complex, adding lemon juice and/or cinnamon simple syrup, but the original is sublime.

1 1/2 oz Mezcal
1/2 oz Fresh Apple Juice, chilled

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir till frosty cold. Strain into a shot glass. Sip or shoot. Can also be poured 1:1, or served as a cocktail.

I've been told that how you spend your time and money in your 20s will define you and, from my personal experience, I find this to be very accurate.

Although I am still a 20-something, I am constantly learning where and how my time and money are best spent. 

Your 20s are an exciting time, and you want to have fun and experience as much as you can, but it's also an instrumental period in regards to building your future.

Due to these two seemingly mutually exclusive facts, it's easy to get confused about where you should and shouldn't be putting your money.

Any big spending may be seen as somewhat foolish when you don't have a lot of money; however, you can spend foolishly ... on wise things.

Here is when to spend money foolishly in your 20s (and when not to).

SEE ALSO: The Best Financial Strategies For 20-Somethings

Where to spend your money

Education

Education is the most important investment you can make. I paid my way through college with student loans that I am still paying off; however, it was worth every penny. Even if you do not find formal education appealing, you can still use your money to pay for instructional books, online classes, vocational school, certification, etc. 

Travel

I firmly believe in the quote, "Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." Go see the world while you are young and still believe that you can change it. Getting away is one of the best ways to recharge your tired batteries. Traveling becomes much more expensive and difficult when you get older and have a family to take with you, so the sooner the better.

A wristwatch communicates a personal sense of style perhaps more than any other accoutrement this side of a pair of well-made shoes or expensive glasses or sunglasses.

Sure, those items might be more easily noticed, but it’s the timepiece that’s the definitive man’s style statement that has stood the test of time for over a century with greater impact, more pervasive influence.

No matter what watch you wear, you’re making a statement about who you are and what’s important to you.

The more pragmatic, lower cost brands like Timex and Casio fall too far on the side of utilitarianism and speak more to your frugality than your sense of style, while the high end brands like Richard Mille and Bvlgari step over the line of classic iconic style and into the realm of gauche — created more for pure show than for anything within the realm of serious timekeeping.

And then there are the true elite horologicals that exude timeless style, never seem to age and are recognized globally as the best in design, quality, timekeeping ability, value over time and style.

We’ve chosen five premier brands that are respected all over the world, not just by the horological cognoscenti, but by anyone who understands the impact of a man’s wristwatch on his whole ethos.

Rolex

Rolex is the world’s most recognized watch brand. The Swiss watchmaker has been around since 1905 and stands as the single largest watchmaker with production numbers of 2,000 timepieces per day. This is an astronomical number for a high-end watch brand.

Big as they are, they’ve managed to build and maintain a reputation of secrecy and mystique that few brands can match. They’ve also attained status in the forefront of most men’s minds as a strong symbol of success. 

Rolex also happens to be the most copied brand in the world, and not just in the form of cheap knockoffs that turn green in the shower.

The Rolex Submariner design is emulated by dozens of brands. These homage watches are often well-made but not nearly to the specifications or rigors of Rolex timepieces. This is why Rolex can command higher prices. Discerning people are willing to pay for a Rolex, whether it’s a brand new $5,000 version or a $150,000 vintage timepiece.

To run down the litany of Rolex’s accomplishments reveals its ethos of sophisticated sports luxury. Rolex can boast fine achievements, like the first waterproof wristwatch in 1926, the first waterproof case to 100 meters in 1953, and the first chronometer certification all the way back in 1914.

But a man wearing a Rolex does not automatically convey success, sophistication, masculinity and style. Just like a man who buys a Ferrari and peels the tires at every intersection while wearing licensed Ferrari apparel from head-to-toe, wearing a Rolex watch to draw attention automatically disqualifies its wearer as someone to respect.

If you wear a gold and blue Rolex Presidential and enjoy four-button suits, lizard shoes and talk about yourself in the third person regularly, then you’re likely abusing all that Rolex stands for in the name of getting attention.

If you, however, see a Rolex timepiece as a subtle but timeless style statement, like pairing a Savile Row bespoke two-button charcoal gray suit with a vintage Submariner, then you clearly understand the Rolex brand and understand what it conveys in the way of class and under-the-radar masculinity.

Rolex’s most popular and iconic example is the Submariner, which can be categorized as the gentleman’s sport watch. He sails because he’s passionate about the sport and ends the evening with a glass of Highland Park single malt.

IWC

Timepieces from the International Watch Company might command around the same price point as Rolex, but their renown in consumer circles is wholly different.

Consider IWC the thinking man’s watch brand largely because the choice to buy one is deliberate, as opposed to picking a Rolex, which can be the logical and popular choice for those who have the necessary capital without horological knowledge.

Select a timepiece from IWC and you’re in elite but cult status. Their designs are classic, elegant and timeless (except for the Top Gun or Aquatimer). The Portugieser is one of their most prominent and coveted watches.

One look at it and you realize you’ve graduated into another realm of wristwatches that’s subtly powerful and understatedly confident.

A man who wears an IWC is confident and has nothing to prove in the way of style. He might be a family man who has not lost himself in the shadow of responsibility. He’s passionate about comfort and security, he's typically conservative, he knows what he likes, and he's comfortable in his own skin. He cares little that his neighbors know nothing about the IWC name and doesn’t care to brag about his accomplishments.

You might see him driving a vintage BMW 8-Series or a Saab 9-3 Viggen because he appreciates obscure finery, and his suit of choice is a crisp navy blue Brooks Brothers two-button.

Omega (Speedmaster)

Omega SA’s sporting reputation in the watchmaking world is solidified by their commitment to creating timepieces that are a draw for adventurers, athletes, sportsmen, and even astronauts. Their watches are elegant and lean toward an active aesthetic that's still firmly grounded in a premier lifestyle.

Omega is one of the few watch brands that has mastered toeing the line between active and luxurious with skilled perfection.

Omega is committed to the world of sports. They’re the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games. They have created a massive database of every athlete in the world for every major sport.

Outside of the Summer and Winter Games, Omega also handles the timekeeping for every major international sporting event. This level of commitment goes far beyond the desire to make money from their watches… it is a way of life that the Omega brand stands behind.

The fact that the now coveted Omega Speedmaster Professional was chosen for NASA astronauts is also proof in the pudding that Omega’s timepieces are created for extremes and extreme men. The same can be said for their expansive Seamaster line.

A man who chooses the Omega isn't typically the wealthy businessman — they normally gravitate towards a Rolex — but you’ll find avid downhill skiers opting for an Omega because it communicates style with power that’s more subtle.

He drives a Land Rover Defender or a vintage Porsche 911, and he’s less likely to spend a weekend in the Hamptons, instead opting for a visit the Circuit de la Sarthe for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Cartier (Santos de Cartier)

The Parisian jeweler Cartier is all about regal sophistication. After all, they’ve provided jewelery to kings and queens and have grown to become one of the most successful watchmakers in the world.

Cartier watches are decadent without being gaudy. They manage to be luxurious even though one of their most famous timepieces, the Santos de Cartier, is a tank-style watch. It is one of the few enduring watch icons in the world.

It was created way back in 1904 for Brazilian pilot Alberto Santos Dumont to allow him to tell time while flying airplanes. Most men back then carried pocket watches, but Santos wanted it on his wrist.

The Santos wasn’t the first wristwatch, but it’s responsible for birthing the wristwatch industry, thanks to Dumont’s fame and his flying prowess. The Santos de Cartier’s legacy continues today as a sleek, stunning timepiece, and much more than a watch for pilots or pioneers to wear.

The Cartier name is now synonymous with luxury.

A man wearing a Cartier cares about art and sophistication, and Cartier exudes both in luxurious style. Their designs are simple and elegant with fine touches like smooth cases, detailed crowns, and exposed screw bezels.

He’s more apt to drive a car like a new Mercedes S-Class or a Bentley and wear custom made suits. He frequents the art galleries and considers a good Cabernet Sauvignon one of his best friends.

Patek Philippe (Perpetual Calendar Chronograph)

Few men in this life will ever don a Patek. It’s not a watch for the common man or even the mildly successful man. Patek Philippe is the ultimate power watch. It’s widely considered to be the world's finest watch brand, creating in-house innovations that leave the rest of watchmaking in the stone ages.

Wearing one means you’ve arrived where others dare to dream. The designs are classic. The case has a smaller diameter than most, and they are some of the most coveted watches in the world.

Patek timepieces regularly hit stratospheric prices at auction for rare vintage pieces. One Super Complication sold at auction for over $24,000,000 in 2014.

Patek’s reference 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is widely known as one of the finest watches in the world. Since its inception in 1941, it has graced the wrists of powerful men all over the world. The model boasts their first in-house chronograph movement.

A man who wears a Patek is a connoisseur of fine watches, one of the most successful in his field, and revered f0r his intellect, his business acumen or his wealth. Men hope to merely walk in his shadow. He takes brilliant risks and makes them work to his advantage.

He doesn’t shoot from the hip. He weighs his decisions carefully and is utterly relentless in seeing them through to fruition. He is more likely to buy a British estate than a mansion in Miami.

He drives an Aston Martin DB5 when he’s not being chauffeured in a Rolls-Royce, and his wine cellar is bigger than your garage.

He wears custom made suits primarily in flat black and vacations on the French Riviera when he has a moment to step away from the empire he has built.

MORE FROM ASKMEN:

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SEE ALSO: 7 reasons why every guy should be wearing a watch

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It's hard to imagine that the man whose name graces the world’s most extreme sports cars started out building tractors.

A successful industrialist who also made heaters and air conditioners, Ferruccio Lamborghini bought a couple of Ferraris but found them — and Enzo Ferrari himself — somewhat lacking and decided to launch his own marque in 1963.

And truly, Lamborghinis have managed to make Ferraris feel a little tame by comparison ever since. Having overseen the debut of his first car in 1963 and several other models since, Lamborghini sold the company in the ‘70s; in 1997 it was acquired by the Volkswagen Group and placed under Audi’s aegis.

The past 50 years of Lamborghini production have seen the introduction of some of the fastest and most beautiful cars in the world. A cool new book by James Mann with photos by Stuart Codling from Motorbooks, Lamborghini Supercars 50 Years, is a suitably sybaritic tribute to the most famous thoroughbreds, from the Miura — arguably the world’s first supercar, which forever cemented his fame — to the 1980s models which looked like spacecraft at the time and are now starting to fetch equally astronomical prices at auction. With a foreword by Fabio Lamborghini, director of the family run Lamborghini museum, it’s a must for any enthusiast of the beauties bearing the mark of the bull.

Here are our picks of the 10 coolest Lambos ever made.

SEE ALSO: Check out the 10 greatest Ferraris of all time

350GT, 1964-1966

Lamborghini’s first production car was successfully launched at the 1964 Geneva Auto Show and cost the equivalent of $120,000 today. More muscle-bound vehicles would follow.

Miura, 1966-1973

The Miura, styled by Bertone, remains one of the most beautiful sports cars ever built. Famed owners like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Miles Davis certainly agreed on that.

Countach, 1974-1990

The wedge shape look that came to define modern supercars has now come to represent the excesses of the ‘80s. Smart collectors bought them before prices started skyrocketing.

Over the past several years, men’s hairstyles have increased in diversity, with the latest trend, longer hair, being no exception.

Within the category of "long hair" there is also considerable diversity. So we will explore styles that run the gamut of lengths, hair types, and degrees of formality for your personal style.

With added length, you need to think about texture and the complexity of styling, along with some new products and techniques to maintain your stylish new mane.

SEE ALSO: The 5 most popular men's hairstyles right now, according to Pinterest

Long and wavy

Long and low maintenance

Next we look at a little longer cut from the good guy/bad guy character played by Colin Farrell on True Detective.

Cut: You want a scissor cut with mild layering, keeping a heavy perimeter.

Products: Start with a great shampoo and conditioner such as American Crew Thickening, then add grooming cream for the finish. Either lightly dry or air dry for a natural finish.

Long and natural

Now on to someone who almost anyone can relate to, actor and style icon Johnny Depp.

Cut: A square layered scissor cut is what you want, about four inches on top with corresponding length on the sides and back.

Products: Apply a volumizer like Schwartzkoff mouse, followed by an application of Argan oil and a light blow dry for a natural finish.

Growing a mustache is a rite of passage akin to asking a girl to prom or paying off your first speeding ticket with the money you made selling coffee. Taking on a life of its own the moment it shows up on your face, the mustache may be viewed as juvenile if not properly grown and unsightly when not closely maintained.

When it comes to shaving or trimming this ever-growing facial accoutrement, most men take the lessons they’ve learned from their fathers and grandfathers and carelessly hack away at their newfound hairy pride and joy without considering the key lessons of smart shaving beforehand. 

Some men think that the only contributing factors to a great shave are the water, the razor and a healthy dose of shaving cream. Despite the supposedly ironclad evidence in favor of this theory, a great shave is more than a sharp blade and a quick wrist. There are a few easy steps one must take before even putting a finger on a razor and when followed closely, these steps will not only become second nature to you, they’ll keep your face safe and your mustache glowing.

Shampoo the flavor savor

It’s a bit of a stereotype to think of the shampoo-laden shower loofah as belonging to the lady of the household — a notion you must push out of your brain if you want to succeed in shaving successfully. Men can — and should — own as many shampoos and conditioners necessary for the parts of the body that matter.

Shampoo is for hair, yes? Well, guess what your mustache is made out of. An article in The DailyMail outlined just how much bacteria can get caught in your facial hair, because of its shape: “Beard hair; it’s courser. It has the shape of a bayonet, a round, convexed bottom and then comes up the side to a point,” says Carol Walker, a consultant trichologist from the Birmingham Trichology Center. Basically, it’s the kind of shape bacteria and dirt like clinging to, meaning you should think of your mustache as an extension of your head hair while showering.  Shampoo that sucker vigorously and you’ll never have to think twice about carrying a small army of dirty just above your lips.  

Steam your face

A vital part of shaving is the act of cleansing and softening the hair on your face; hair that’s incredibly tough, thick and as hard to hack through as the Amazonian rainforest. The easiest way to tame that hair is as follows:

1. Take an extra minute or two — literally 120 seconds — to stand under the the hot water in the shower; it opens your pores, which is exactly what you need to allow that razor of yours to glide over your face with ease.

2. Drape a hot towel over your face. This method is exactly as easy as it sounds. Soak a washcloth in hot water and put it over your face until it cools off.  

3. Use some good ol’ fashioned face wash.  

You’re making your hair your absolute best friend by treating it like a prince and taking the edge off. Your razor won’t get caught in the jungle that is your mustache and your chance of cutting yourself will have dramatically lowered.

Trim when damp

Damp hair is easier to cut and manage. While your mustache is in a state of non-dryness, rake through it with a fine-toothed comb, making sure each and every one of those little hairs are going in the same direction. Keep an eye on those buggers, ensuring they’re all accounted for. Facial hair is tricky in the sense that the grain can change with little notice, but your mustache should be uniform throughout.

Then, using barber scissors, trim the long or stray hairs on the outer edge and bottom line of your mustache. Visualize a dotted line going across the bottom of the ‘stache and cut along it, remembering to be conservative in your snips — you can always go over it again.

Foam up and shave

It’s time to bring the razor to your skin and make your mustache pop like the facial peacock’s feather it’s supposed to be. Whether you’re looking to keep the ‘stache under control by light landscaping or interested in pulling off an all-out-end-of-Movember clean sweep, to make the ‘stache your face’s center of attention, run a sharp razor along the outer edge as if you’re doing away with the garnish surrounding a delicious turkey. Don’t touch that turkey, but get rid of every single potato that diverts attention from the meal.

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NOW WATCH: Here's how to groom the 10-Day beard that women find sexiest

'Tis the season to update your soon-to-be winter wardrobe with one of fashion's most festive items: the holiday sweater. No longer reserved for your grandpa, the holiday sweater offers an easy, festive and stylish option that can take you from the office holiday party to opening gifts on Christmas morning with your parents — if you know how to do it right.

Here, we're laying out the five reasons why you'll want to wear your favorite holiday sweaters all year round.

SEE ALSO: 15 gifts for every type of dad

Statement dressing

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Statement knitwear, heavy on graphic prints and patterns, happened to be a major trend that developed on this season’s runways. That’s why it’s not a coincidence that brands like Pringle of Scotland, Ralph Lauren and Viktor & Rolf included a healthy dose of Fair Isle and Nordic-printed sweaters into their fall 2015 collections. British label E. Tautz styled their Nordic crew neck (left, $664.00) and Icelandic roll neck sweaters (right, $748.00) with pared down separates. Building your outfits around a statement piece is an easy way to free your look from appearing too busy. You’ll want to keep your other pieces easy and simple so they’re not fighting for the attention your sweater is already commanding.

Layer up with the right button-down

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If you’re interested in adding a little holiday spice to your look, a good chambray and/or denim button down — not to mention buffalo plaid — is the perfect alternative to the classic white oxford shirt. Preston Konrad, a New York City based fashion stylist, blogger and television personality, shows you how it’s done in a festive Fair Isle knit styled over a denim button-down — both by Topman.

Layer up with a solid turtleneck

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We've said it before and we'll say it again: Turtlenecks are back in action and a great way to elevate your holiday look. A solid white, grey or black roll neck will usually do the trick. Take notes from male model Jason Ellis, posing for British publication The Guardian, in a knitwear-inspired fashion spread. His white turtleneck layered beneath his Nordic-printed knit adds an interesting new element to his outfit.

When Adam Levine, Maroon 5 frontman and judge on television’s The Voice, unveiled a freshly-shaved head on the show’s premiere October 12, he sent ripples through the internet.

Because the new look was such a shocking departure from his former styles — which typically showcased a thick, healthy head of hair— fans all over the world expressed the same thoughts: why would he shave his head? Was he going bald? Why wouldn’t he show off his hair, if he still had it?

In order to quiet the overwhelming volume of questions and concern, Levine simply tweeted on October 13, just one day after the The Voice’s premiere: “Excuse me. Lex Luthor was bald. I have ‘shaved’ my head. Meaning, shaved by choice. Big difference.”

Believe it or not: Levine shaved his head because he wanted to, proving that a shaved head can be a freeing and confident declaration of personal style. Rob McMillen, the head barber of New York’s and Los Angeles’s Blind Barber, agrees and says, “Shaving your head can be quite a liberating experience. Most men shave their heads when they notice a receding hairline, but it can also prove to be a clean and fresh new look.” He adds that, for guys who are tired of navigating the ever-crowded world of hairstyles and grooming products, shaving your head can simplify your daily regimen, and help you save some hard-earned dollars since you’ll be spending less on products.

Perhaps the best perk to shaving your head is that you can easily do it yourself, no barber necessary. Here, McMillen share his easy-to-follow steps on how to properly shave your head at home.

SEE ALSO: The fashion choices that can make men go bald faster

Trim

To ensure a comfortable head shave, make sure your current hair length is super-short. McMillen recommends using a trimmer to keep the length “between 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch.”

Steam

The optimal time to shave your head is right after you shower. The steam from the hot water “prepares the hair follicles and opens the pores for a proper shave.”  

Wash

As you would with your face or hair, wash up with your favorite shampoo or cleanser. Mcmillen recommends The Regimen Kit from Blind Barber, which comes with the essentials for a terrific at-home shave: face cleanser, shaving cream, and aftershave.

The overwhelming idea of researching three different fashion weeks in three totally separate cities — respectively London, Milan and Paris — in the span of two weeks will make anyone’s head spin.

That’s why we’re doing all of the dirty work for you by sifting through every collection to present you our roundup of the key trends you’ll want to be wearing next fall.

Whether you want to stay ahead of the fashion game or find new ways to refresh your look, fashion week is the best source of style inspiration. From cartoon couture to '90s revival and from metallics to velvet, here are the most important Fall 2016 menswear trends. 

SEE ALSO: 15 common fashion mistakes that men make — and how to fix them

Nineties Youthquake

Fall 2016 is going to smell (and look) a whole lot like teen spirit. Synonymous with grunge, tattered sweaters and loose and baggy silhouettes, the early nineties experienced a major revival on the runways this week. Nineties youth culture — heavily influenced by alterna-rock and urban music — inspired designers to revisit their childhood through their collections. We’re obsessed with pieces from Coach 1941's salute to old school hip-hop (à la LL Cool J) and Raf Simons' rough-around-the-edges ode to collegiate style. This trend popped up everywhere including in the collections of Astrid Andersen, MSGM and Etro.

On the Right Track

Metallica

It is a mistake to believe that beards are a trend. People love beards. They will not go anywhere.

Last week I sat in a Brooklyn barbershop where five bearded men talked about beard maintenance the same when I’ve heard men Monday-morning quarterback a football game. They discussed strategy and effectiveness; trials and failures. They laughed and nodded and bumped fists.

It was normal — as normal as it is to debate a thing at a barbershop. But beard discussions aren’t just in the barbershop, they’re everywhere. The beard is lifestyle and strategy is necessary. That’s why "how to use beard balm" was the fifth most-searched beauty question of 2015. 

That could be surprising too. But it’s not.  Guys don’t just want facial hair. We need it to be thick and sharp and full. We need it to flourish. We even found out a study that proved having a beard could save your life. So you go out and purchase a beard oil or a beard balm or both and slap some on your face. But are you doing it right? Do you know how much is too much? Are you better off using a balm or an oil? Celebrity barber Marcus Harvey, says the most important thing is to avoid using too much.

"Be very, very careful because you can clog your pores if you put too much on," said Harvey, the founder of The BarberStars, who shapes hair for the likes of rapper Nas, and athletes like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Grant Hill and Chris Webber among others.

So what is beard balm anyway? Beard balm is pomade used to moisturize and condition your beard using oil blends and possibly fragrance oils. The major difference between beard balm and beard oil is that the balm is thicker and can used as a styling agent. The oil, on the other hand, is easier to get to the skin beneath your beard and help reduce dryness and itch.

Harvey suggests using balm if you're rocking shorter facial scruff and using the oil if you've reached the bush leagues. Take a dime-sized amount – your beard oil may come with a dropper — and work in it through your facial hair evenly with your hands. It's best to apply the balm or oil when your skin is slightly moist so the best time may be just after a shower or washing your face. It’s also key to comb or brush your beard after applying.

Frequency depends on length and individual need based on the dryness of your hair or skin.  How often you take to a beard balm will be a matter of trial and error.

"If you grow your beard long enough, it'll start talking to you," Harvey said. "You’ll know what to do."

This story was originally published on AskMen: The Right Way To Use Beard Oil. Follow AskMen on Twitter.

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NOW WATCH: These 25-year-old BFFs are Instagram stars thanks to their crazy beards

Do I cut it today? It looks like crap. How often can I wear that goddamned wide brimmed fedora!? Not today. Way too windy. I’m cutting it.

It’s been eight months. No haircuts. I committed. But the awkwardness of my hair demands half-man buns and tuques as a matter of course. I even riffle through the oubliette under my bathroom sink for more aggressive product to slick this puffy mess back. Pomade no longer measures up. I settle for body lotion. Sigh. I miss my undercut. I text Christina. She’s been cutting my hair for 14 years. And doing a damn good job. “Haircut?” she responds. Wait, if Leo did it, by God so can I. Neither one of us has an Oscar yet so we’re practically the same guy. I close my eyes. Breathe. One more month I convince myself. “Actually, I need tips on growing it out.” I wait 3 minutes staring at my phone. “No sweat. Come by.” Cool. “This may be for an article” I add. She’s into it.

If you’re growing your hair out or just thinking about it, you need these ten things. They are from a certified hair expert. Christina Gallo is a two decade veteran hair stylist who works at Salon PURE in Montreal. She’s been making me look pretty for years. Like a stylish yeti. Yes, choke on my vanity sandwich. But if you’re growing your hair out, you need this list. Put these ten things on you or in you if you’re going long right now.

SEE ALSO: 7 things you can do to draw attention away from your thinning hair

Patience

Boom. I know, I know. Trust me, I rolled my eyes too. But it’s literally the first thing out of her mouth when I sit down in her chair and she means it. You’ll simply need to be patient. I sigh again and let the common sense wash over me. A little research yielded some numbers. The average person’s hair grows at a rate of about 6 inches a year, or a half inch a month. Genetically speaking though, you may be blessed. Live Science tells us that ancestry plays a role. Asian hair grows fastest at about 6 inches a year, African hair a little slower at around 4 and Caucasian hair typically lands in the middle at 5 inches. Damn. So average, so white. More sighing. No matter your background, growing out your locks means sucking it up through the NUMEROUS awkward phases as your last haircut grows out. Which was probably an undercut like mine. So know what you’re getting into. This is a process. A journey. Not all of you will make it my brothers. But those with stalwart hearts may go as far as Jared Leto (post Joker). If you believe. You must believe.

Cut your hair

Yup. Seems a little counterintuitive but experts like Christina agree, you need to get a trim about every 3 months to keep your hair looking healthy. Does this make your hair grow faster? Absolutely not. That myth has been debunked. Hair grows from the root. Not the tip. But trimming helps manage split ends. If you’ve seen a woman’s shampoo ad, you’ve heard of these “split ends” I speak of. Your man hair isn’t magically immune because testosterone, it’s just been short for so long you’ve never had to deal with trichoptilosis. Science name drop. Split ends happen when your hair’s outer layer is stripped down by thermal, chemical or mechanical stress. Think hair dryer, pomade and aggressive or regular combing. So, pretty much everything you’ve been doing to get that gentleman's undercut the kids love so much. Now that you’ll be cutting your hair less, you’ll have to be wary, or be ugly. When your hair splits down the middle it’ll look unhealthy and wiry. Christina explains it’ll actually seem to cause a plateau in your hair growth by looking shorter and shorter as your hair grows from the root. Like a log through a splitter. So get a trim every season.

Use conditioner

This is must. Get up. Go to the pharmacy. Buy conditioner. And if you want to grow your hair out the right way, toss out your 2 in 1 on the way. While one bottle feels more efficient, and less expensive, it simply doesn’t work. It’s hogwash. Malarkey. Poppycock. A lie. Ok it works a little, but barely.  Christina’s example: 2 in 1s are the equivalent of throwing a dryer strip into your washing machine and expecting your clothes to come out static free when you dry them. Or, if I need to bro it down, it’s like washing and waxing your car at the same time. You may end up with a bit of wax on your car but not an ideal amount to benefit. Despite what the marketing promised. Same goes for your man mane. Don’t you want your man mane to benefit? Of course you do. The real issue is that 2 in 1 products are typically heavy in silicone, which clings to your hair and leaves it more manageable but it at also clings to your scalp, clogging pores and impeding growth.  Get yourself a decent shampoo and a decent conditioner. In separate bottles.

Since I started growing my own beard, and founded a company of bearding products, I’ve noticed how facial hair has shot up in popularity. It's truly become the realm of the stylish. From models and movie stars to what I call “the urban beardsman” — your average style-conscious beard-wearer — fuller beards especially are sweeping the nation.

Google Trends, which tracks “hot searches” to see what’s popular on the Internet, reports that searches for beards reached an all-time high in October 2013, after skyrocketing in 2012. This spike isn’t restricted to trendy cities, either: the searches at least are nation-wide, and beards are sure to follow.

We can look to a couple of sources to see where this upswing is coming from. Film director Ben Affleck sported his beard while accepting the Best Film Oscar for Argo, and George Clooney attended the same event with his famous salt-and-pepper scruff. What’s more, major men’s magazines have run articles about beard grooming and styles, making the look a recognized part of a stylish man’s repertoire.

Beards have gone corporate, too. Gillette has engineered the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Beard Trimmer and Styler, specifically for those who want tailored and sophisticated facial hair. Although those seeking truly full beards will discard trimmers altogether, this major release specifically for facial hair goes to show how it’s risen in the world.

And in America’s trendiest neighborhoods, beards already reign supreme. A recent section front-page article the New York Times about Williamsburg, currently the most famous and trendy neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY featured its author trying to integrate into the particular world of the borough. When he walks down Bedford Avenue, its central street, he describes the population as “a veritable ocean of beard.”

Of course, these are just some facts and figures about one bearding trend. Really the possibilities are endless. To get in on the trend or start your own, let me share some of my best beard grooming tips.

Beard growing tips

Hair is little dead pieces of you slowly coming out of your body. If they lived a good life, then they will exist as a good hair — otherwise your beard will look like sh*t. So to have the best beard you will start with a healthy diet and foods high in protein.

The higher protein diet will help boost your testosterone, which is a key factor in beard epicness. You'll want to make sure to get your veggies: peas, broccoli, chickpeas, and spinach are especially high protein vegetables. Another way to increase your testosterone is to exercise regularly — lifting weights in particular.

If you eat a perfectly balanced diet, you won't need to take any vitamins or supplements. However, if you suspect your diet is less than ideal you may want to consider adding these beard-assisting supplements: biotin, fish oil, and a multivitamin. Or you could simplify your life and take a vitamin designed specifically for beard growth.

Keep stress and smoking to a minimum and you will be living up to your full beard growth potential. 

Beard maintenance tips

Once you've got your beard growing at its best, you'll have to take care of it to keep it that way. This starts in the shower: you have to resist the urge to shampoo your beard everyday. Shampooing beards puts a lot of strain on beards because it strips out the natural oils that keep your beard healthy and moisturized. I try to wash only once or twice a week and always use a beard softener after washing. Beardbrand's Wash & Softener are the finest washing products designed specifically for beards.

Immediately after the shower, while your pores are still open, is the best time to add some beard oil to your face and beard. Beard oil is a leave-in conditioner that will help keep your beard soft, shiny, and prevent against beard dandruff. Personally I use Four Vices Beard Oil (shameless plug — it's my line of beard oils).

From there, you'll need to minimize the damage to your beard. Excessive brushing, blow drying, or just stroking can lead to split ends and bald patches. I know, I've got a fiddling OCD habit myself. If you are the type to play with your beard, try to keep objects near by to keep your hands occupied — a stress ball won't bring you near as much heartache. Trimming regularly will help remove split ends and even out fast growing hairs.

For your combing needs, try to get a saw-cut and handmade comb like a cellulose acetate comb. These combs will glide through your beard like a hot knife through butter and create little to no static. If you are a brush person, avoid the nylon brushes and go for a boar's hairbrush. The hairs help redistribute your natural oils rather than stripping them away.

Beard styling tips

Now that your beard is healthy and strong, you've got some style options. Besides your natural full beard, your Garibaldi and Verdi are the most common full beard styles. The Verdi is a shorter beard with larger mustache, and the Garibaldi is a full round big bushy beard.

If you can't grow a full beard, I like to say, "grow what you got." You can go for the mustache only, partial beard (chops), or goatee. If you've got a nice 'stache then you may want to play around with some mustache wax. There are a lot of options on the market and you'll have to decide which is the best.

A medium hold natural beeswax mustache wax will give you a lot of flexibility, keep your mustache out of the way, but have it still looking natural. Bruce Roe, a world mustache champion, recommends using Brother's Love. It's a crème-based product that goes on easier and stiffens to a hold. It'll leave a chalky residue whereas the wax leaves a waxy residue, so pick your poison.

To help tame your beard you'll want to go with a hair styling product like Fellow Barber Texture Paste. Once these elements are in place, you'll have a kickass beard that's manly, stylish, and just plain awesome. 

Eric Bandholz is a man who takes beard maintenance very seriously. As a leading grooming expert, entrepreneur, husband, father, designer and urban beardsman, Eric is also the founder of Beardbrand, a premium grooming company of beard oils, mustache waxes, kits, washes and its sister site, the community magazine Urban Beardsman. Eric has appeared on national television show Shark Tank, been viewed nearly four million times on YouTube, and featured in Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Details, Business Insider, Fast Company and Forbes. 

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Mark Webster, New York City based, office dwelling family man, had enough of the gym and his boring old routine. Living day to day with the same old, boring gym workout schedule was getting to him.

It was time to shake things up. And having read about The Rock's megalomaniac dietary schedule, he made up his mind and set to work to train and eat just like The Rock for 30 days.

"Here is a guy who has a packed schedule and works intensely hard" Mark writes on his blog. Without losing steam or motivation, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wakes up at 4 in the morning every morning and gets his ass to the gym. And that takes serious dedication and a seemingly unsurpassable amount of self-discipline. And that's exactly what Mark Webster was after. Not becoming massive, not bulking for the sake of growing into a 6 foot 5, 260 lb man, but to test out whether he had the "will and discipline to spend a month walking in the shoes" of the world famous wrestler and entertainment icon. 

As of today, he's 22 long days in. And luckily, we'll be able to follow him along the entire journey thanks to his fascinating blog and even his Fitbit profile. Here are some more insights of his incredible challenge to give you an idea of what it takes to train and eat like The Rock for a mere 30 days (hint: it involves a whole lotta cod). 

You can follow him and cheer him on Twitter.

SEE ALSO: 10 athletes with insane diets

Why would anyone do this?

The diet

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is not a small guy to say the least. His 6 foot 5, over 260lb frame needs a lot of calories to maintain mass. Over 5000 calories stretched out over 7 meals a day. That's almost twice the amount of an average male in his twenties. Mark Webster's adapted meal plan adds up to an astonishing, kidneys crushing 500 grams of protein alone. 

One of the most difficult parts of Mark's challenge is meal prep. In short, keeping up with 7 meals a day, an office job and a family, plus an insane 6 day a week training schedule means you have to cook a lot of meals at once. 

His grocery trips include picking up 6 pounds of cod from the market and spending two hours of meal prep for just two days of eating.

Food prep — "Cafeteria volume, prison variety"

Tequila gets a bad rap. Most times you’ll hear dudes complaining about the Mexican-based liquor causing overnight blackouts, stomach issues, serious hangovers, and basically every other upsetting, alcoholic side effect in the medical book. Man up, bro.

Any playboy looking to keep his swag intact must keep tequila as part of their alcohol regimen. Why? You’d be surprised to hear the health and skincare benefits that come with downing a glass straight, with no chaser. Tequilas made from 100% agave posses mystical beauty powers that can impact a man’s entire appearance from their sex drive to their skin texture.

Drinking in moderation is the only true way of experiencing these virtues. So don’t view this as an open invitation to increase your Don Julio intake when hitting the bar this weekend. Take it light and make it conducive to your lifestyle. With that said, raise a shot (or two) and read up on the tantalizing ways tequila makes you look hotter.

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Acts as a sexual confidence booster

Cocktails are seductive, especially certain tequila-based ones like the Agua Verde Margarita that serves as a natural aphrodisiac. Interestingly enough, the distilled alcohol is rich in fructans, plus acts as a probiotic and prebiotic that feeds the body healthy bacteria to balance out the immune system. Recent studies suggest that probiotics can enhance your sexual drive, with preliminary studies being done on laboratory mice showing they inseminated partners at a faster rate and increased the weight of their testicles by 5%. How randy.

Makes for a mean skin exfoliant

Tequila is considered a cleaning analgesic. In other words, it bears astringent properties that remove excess dirt and oil from the skin. Many luxury spas are using it as an ingredient for skin treatments, detoxifying and tightening pores. You can achieve similar results by creating a DIY Margarita Salt Scrub combining 1-2 tablespoons of tequila with other ingredients to moisturize your outer shell. Adding lime into the mix helps since it’s a natural soothing and skin conditioner.

Shreds the fat

One of the biggest misconceptions of weight loss is you must eliminate alcohol entirely to maintain a hot figure. Bullshit. It’s possible to wet one’s whistle and stabilize your diet. Tequilas boast a specialty sugar named agavin that carries weight-loss properties and doesn’t increase blood sugar levels. It also reduces fats and sparks metabolism to burn (you guessed it) calories.