I'm not going to say that when I saw this I thought it was a photo, because personally I think a better compliment is that I knew it was a peice of art. It takes skill to make something look exactly like the photo, but it takes more skill to give it an artistic impact. You have definatly acheived this.
First off the eyes, the colouring on them is beautiful and the shine works so well, so life-like. The idea of bold colourful eyes against a black and white face isnt the most original but that doesn't mean it's still not a great idea. I think it's exactly what this picture needed to give it the right dynamics, and it's been done so well.
Some other things I noticed were the hair, which looks so soft, but still you can see the strands. The way the backround blurs gives the picture perfect focus, and the freckles dont look drawn on. theyre not too harsh and they fit in with the skin.

The only problems I can find are with the lips. They are amazing, but I'm being picky because noticing problems is the only way to advance But the little problem I saw was that the creases dont seem to fade out properly, they look a bit too much like pencil strokes.

All in all though, this is a fabulous piece, amazingly detailed and very inspired. An instant fave from me

~Squee

Well, I normally really try to work something that needs to be improved upon into my critiques but I honestly can't even begin to find anything. You've absolutely astounded me with your level of detail, not to mention your skill; before reading your description I thought for sure that the eyes were photoshop but again, you astounded me further with the statement that they were pencils. Furthermore, the freckles are incredible! Not only do they look identical to the picture you referenced but they don't look at all like they were just sketched on. I seriously found a new favorite artist!! Can you recommend an equivilant to your materials that I might find in the US?