Design a portrait or photo edit

I need a portrait retouch for a client photo that will print at 8x10. Reduce shine on Priya’s forehead, remove a stray hair along the jawline, and gently brighten the eyes without making them look artificial. Export a high-res JPG and a PNG with a transparent background for use on her website. Verify skin tones stay natural when printed on matte paper by previewing at 100 percent.

Before I hand this portrait to the client, make the edits approval‑friendly: show a side‑by‑side original versus retouched at 100 percent, list the three edits I made (shine reduction, stray hair removal, eye brightening), and include one version with slightly warmer skin tones labeled ‘option B’ so the client can choose. Flag anything that might look off in print, like blown highlights.

I just finished retouching Priya’s headshot and she replied that it looks a bit fake. I softened highlights and brightened the eyes slightly; I’m worried I overshot the eye catchlights or the skin smoothing. I can’t tell whether to back off the eye brightening or reduce overall smoothing. What’s the most likely cause of the ‘fake’ comment and what single adjustment should I make now to fix it before sending a new proof?

Across ten recent portrait jobs I keep losing time on repeated rounds of feedback where clients call images ‘too airbrushed’ or 'unrealistic.' I want to change one habit so my first proofs land closer to what clients expect. What specific preflight step or communication should I add to the process so fewer portraits need a second round of naturalization?