I hope no one will laugh at me, but I keep coming back to this as inspirations:
https://cdn.profoto.com/cdn/05219b3/contentassets/ca88cb91c4274a8d8dfc428c204fb963/002profoto-b1-phaseone-richard-thompson-02_cf003440-600x450.jpg?width=2840&quality=75&format=jpg (Full photoshoot can be found somewhere on PhaseOne page).
I originally disliked the set esp. how unrealistic they were, they were over-retouched. But then the photographer posted defense of it being intentional as sort of painterly style and I started looking at it more until I eventually liked it.
It's not like I succeeded in making my rendering painterly, that's hardly close to my style, but when it veers little bit into that direction.
So I do a bit heavier retouch sometimes, and it's very manual. Old-school dodge& burn to highlight some edges and shapes. The images become little bit uncanny, but also little bit more impactful.
Constant balancing of trade-offs, but I want them to stand out.