"Kao wa Inochi" is a term to express how important the face of a figure is - sales of a figure shift tremendously based on how the face ends up looking. These are the guys who paint those faces. The room is completely silent apart from the hum of the air flowing through that grooved wall.
For me, its all about the face too and you may find it hard to believe but the eyes (the soft n bouncy variety) are not a deciding factor. Take a lookie at my Melissa for example - not much to hold on to but has an incredibly sweet face and gorgeous v-zone. If the figure has a face that I like, I usually get it - paid or as SAFS.
What do you consider to be the most important thing when deciding to buy a figure?