EDIT: updated feedback for new June 3rd benchmark located HERE
I'd like to share my concerns about some of the changes made to the first female midlander face. I'm aware some of these might get fixed soon, but I wanted to try to squeeze my thoughts in just in case, because there appear to be changes to the actual face model and texture separate from the lighting problems.
Here's a slider image showing my main before and after. You can zoom in to compare the specific details I mention: https://imgsli.com/MjY1NTQ0
My problems with the changes:
1. The eyes (type 3, large iris, with the heavier makeup from facial feature 2). The upper lashes look good, but the exotic almond shape is gone, and the eyeshadow no longer angles up and out dramatically. The lashes on the lower lid also do not blend naturally along the bottom of the eye, instead they're all the same length and drift awkwardly away from the waterline before ending abruptly, whereas in the original they stay against the waterline and gradually decrease in length before turning into a gentle line. The nicely blended, smokey eye look is lost and replaced with something much more jarring. I would go so far as to say this is a serious oversight in the texture; artistically it's a downgrade.
2. The under eye area has also lost the subtle dark circles/eyebags, which in my opinion gave some extra dimension to the face without being unsightly.
3. The face now has freckles built in, which adds a redness to the cheeks that wasn't there before. This would be better as an optional feature instead.
4. The nose (type 3) appears to be narrower at the bridge and wider in the nostrils. I'm not sure if this is just because of the lighting and contouring problems mentioned in the update posts. I hope that's all it is and will be fixed, because it looked more elegant and balanced before.
5. The shape of her upper lip (type 2) is completely different. The cupid's bow is narrower, making her lips look more generic. The lipstick also has a red undertone even on the darkest option, so you'd never know it's supposed to be dark blue (again hoping this is just a lighting glitch).
6. Looking through the different hairstyles, some of them have much smoother textures than others and unfortunately the one she's wearing here seems to be in the latter category. Something about the new texture looks less natural and makes the strands at the front seem more thin and stringy than before. The shading and highlights aren't blending nicely. I noticed this when I tried the hair on other races too.
TLDR: She's gone from being a sultry type of cute to fairly plain and less pretty. These were changes to the core nature of the face that didn't need to happen. It would be better to add them as new options than to try to fix what was never broken, as lots of people including myself fell in love with the way it looked before.
Thank you for taking the time to read my opinion!

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