see also: Facial Styles The Imperial beard refers to a small, tufted beard that was worn by Emperor Napoleon III of France. His thick beard sprouted from the chin and just below the lip, and he wore it with a dramatic, well-waxed moustache that pointed at the ends. While the beard is called the Imperial, the emperor's overall look was far from stately. In fact, he was short and pale, with a hooked nose. An Imperial tends to look best on rounder faces and is a longer, thinner version of the Van Dyck.