Appearance and the ASC.
When judging the ASCENDANT sign and its relationship to ones appearance, you have to really understand how that relationship can manifest itself. Leo Ascendant people are not blond with lots of hair and a regal bearing -- the Ascendant doesn't define the whole look of a person.
Lets look at a few examples of what is often a physical trait that relates to an Ascendant sign:
LEO; the fleshy area around the lips is often full, giving the mouth a rounded base for the lips. Often the hair is worn brushed back at the sides.
LIBRA; the lips are quite distinct, often the lower lip is very full and wide, the upper lip well shaped. Skin and hair coloring, for the family/race genetics, tends to be lighter.
SCORPIO; the nose and lips are often chisled and angular. Often there is more body hair then normal, especially on the arms.
PISCES; the hair style often lends a "misty" or soft look to the whole appearance.
VIRGO and AQUARIANS often share a heavy eyebrow line. But their other appearance characteristics are different.
TAURUS; Often look like SAG's, slightly solid, maybe a bit overweight, dark brown hair and eyes for many, curly hair where family/genetics support this, heavier neck.
I'm not an expert in this area but these attributes come quickly to mind based on 3 decades of experience. Also, there is a color or aura-like physical color that is often associated with Ascending signs. It takes a semianr type of presentation to show this and practice to use it. It works best when you have a large group to work with and can line up six or twelve Ascending sign types to look at while the presenter leads you through the exercise.
Then, in addition to all of that you have to consider what rising or angular planets are in the chart. They often impart certain characteristics to the personality and appearance. Its quite a bit for many beginners in astrology to take in -- but it all comes in time. There are some older texts written by Alan Leo (UK astrologer of the early 1900's) and some Evangeline Adams texts that cover this subject area. Dave.