Face control

Face control refers to the policy of upscale nightclubs, casinos, restaurants and similar establishments to strictly restrict entry based on a bouncer's snap judgment of the suitability of a person's looks, money, style or attitude, especially in Russia and other former Soviet countries such as Ukraine.

Although a similar "velvet rope" policy exists in other countries, aiming to admit the right mix of "beautiful people" and keep out boring or unattractive would-be patrons, the Russian version is considered particularly harsh and unforgiving by Western standards.

The rare occasional use of this term in English can be considered a linguistic reborrowing via the Russian pseudo-anglicism фейсконтроль (feiskontrol).