I really do wish more people would look at ethnic characters for the versatility they have. Every caucasian person doesn't look European, or have pink toned skin, so many of the ethnic textures are perfect for a little variety in your renders... without necessarily stating "this woman is East Indian" or such. (Khrys already knows I love his Dhara set, and think she deserves much more notoriety.)

I agree with most of what's been said, a character package really has to offer something unique to distinguish itself from the multitude of sets available.

Some of these are my personal preferences, or just things I've noticed in a lot of texture sets... but I hope they're still helpful.

Reasons I'll generally NOT buy a character/texture:

Morphs based solely on the standard DAZ morphs, I can twist the dials too.
Morph made to look like a particular well known figure, I want to be able to use these characters for unique projects, not fan art.
Overly plucked eyebrows, overly dense eyebrows, overly stylized or dramatic black/platinum blonde painted on eyebrows. All of these limit the versatility of a texture.
Overly saturated skin color, or dull flat-looking skin. Skin isn't the same color on the whole body, it amazes me how often I see that mistake made by texturers.
Lack of detail/distinguishing characteristics. Give them a freckle or two, maybe a birth mark on the back, even if you cover up facial discolorations in 'makeup' variants. Don't overdo it though, sometimes too much 'realism' ends up being a deterrant for those looking to make the standard supermodel types. (And that's a big part of your customer base with female textures, as much as I hate to say it.)

I don't see a lot of realistic makeup variants either, for that matter. Too many of them look like someone just made a selection and adjusted the hue/saturation. Another point to consider, eye makeup doesn't need to match lipstick, most makeup artists will tell you that's an industry 'no-no'. Anton's Fashion Model/Starlet face maps at DAZ are the best example of realistic makeup colors I've found anywhere, I'd reference them for my own makeup! lol

I don't think Xie's lips look too thick really, but maybe thinning out the top one a bit would give her a less puckered expression. I like her nose a lot, it's difficult to get a good rounded or flat nose without making them look like they ran into a window. :)

• Molly