i started playing witcher 3 and i tried to import my last save from witcher 2. apparently its supposed to change the look of geralt to the one in witcher 2 with some beard growth, but this geralt is the exact default without any imported save. i had gotten a haircut in witcher 2 with completely free long hair and i got some armor along, but the geralt i got has a tied up ponytail hair with none of the armor from the witcher 2. why is this happening?

If you're talking about the very beginning of the game, it's because it's a flashback to when he was younger.

I don't know about the haircut, but as far as the equipment goes, I think nothing gets imported.

The only additional thing that will get imported is the Blue Stripes tattoo. Apart from that, nothing else apart from the main decissions. Shila dead? alive? Letho dead? alive? etc. You can skip the import unless you want the tattoo badly.