What could I have done/what did I miss?

[Jduran133]

Hi All....so here is an image i got from here a while ago..forgot that I even had it so i started working on it this week. Now I was working on it mainly at home, but I noticed a few days ago that my imac screen is getting dark zones. (i will be fixing it)...with that said, the skintone might be a bit off. aside from it, if i could get some critiques of the retouching overall. I started with:
1. color correcting via curve adjustment layer
2. followed by skin retouching
3. filled in hair and brows
4. worked on eyes for smokier look
5. restructured jaw line, left side of neck, shoulders, top of head
7. D&B for contouring
6. smart sharpened

here is the link:
(click full size on left above picture to see large full size)

http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...=MODEL1bna.jpg

I filled in the hair with my wacom, and im not sure if fixing her baby hairs was a good idea, or if I should have just removed ALL of them and rebuild some skin =\
Also is smart sharpening used very often by professionals for these types of images?

Thanks =)

[TommyO]

Jduran133,
I think you did very well. I haven't looked back to see if you ever stated what your experience level is. But either way, it is a good retouch. The areas you did modify look very good.

Regarding the fine facial hair, some customers want it for more earthy feel. Others don't want it to remain. So, at this point it is your personal preference.
Regarding smart sharpen, of course it and smart objects were introduced only in later versions of Photoshop. So, many people had never depended on them before. Hence, USM (unsharp mask) was the default standard, usually used in conjunction with masking. Most users find that different tools work differently depending on the type image. It is totally up to you. Most still use a mask in order to confine sharpening only where needed.

A few things to examine...
- white of eyes could be refined a bit;
- the makeup sparkles on her left shoulder are distracting and maybe should be removed;
- lips remain a bit too textured in comparison to the skin;
- possibly add/refine eye lashes, especially her left inner lids;
- I'm sure you were not too concerned about the jewelry, but the pearls were adjusted unnecessarily and should be returned to a lighter tone.