More Heather Selfies and Editing

Who wouldn't want more Heather, my lovely and talented sister-in-law?

After our first experiment with her taking a selfie and me trying to enhance it, we tried again. She sent me a half dozen images. I picked what I thought were the two best photos and tried to improve them with the ultimate goal being a b&w image suitable for her book jacket.

While I don't know if any will be deemed suitable, once again, we both tried our best.

She had chosen a non-distracting background for one photo, so I decided that it would be the easiest starting point, requiring the least amount adjustment on my part.

My work mostly involved reducing dark circles, brightening her face and eyes somewhat, and adjusting skin tone just a tad. 

Now, for the monochrome version. I think it is acceptable.

There was one other photo that I wanted to work on. It would require more work, but I liked her very cute pose.

I really liked the photo, but could I change the background? Replacing a background when it involves wisps of hair is not all that easy. You will also notice the other standard modifications by now: skin tone, eyes, dark circles, and face light.

The conversion.

It was a test of my photoshop skills, which are not  really that great compared to many, but one tries one's best, as did Heather with the selfies.

Which would you choose? You may also consider yesterday's photo if you wish. For convenience, I'll repost it now.