I'll agree that facial hair is not a general thing...
At 25 (1992) I did a full beard, kept it trimmed, and got lots of complements on it.
In 1993 I shaved off the mustache and did a Amish thing, still trimmed but longer, and got even more complements, but started getting weird looks too.
In 1995 I started aping the chin dirt I was seeing on baseball players - no moustache goatee, trimmed short, some scruff sometimes. More complements as lots of gray started showing, which was surprising.
In 2000 I landed a management job and had to shave every day - I kept the chin dirt and nobody said anything about it ever. But I started getting lots of zits/ingrown hairs/skin problems on my face, and had to start using more targeted (read: expensive) shave cream/skin care products. I use Neutrogena stuff and no problems since.
Since that job I went back to the scruff, shaving about twice a week and when necessary. My face has never been happier :biggrin1:
Check my gallery for scruff that I think works... I'm told the gray blends well with the brown and red...