A good likeness can include the asymmetry that affection recognizes immediately.

What makes a face recognisable is precisely what an idealised version removes. The slightly higher eyebrow, the crooked tooth, the way one side smiles first: those are the details a person who loves them would pick out of a crowd. Smoothing them produces something handsome and anonymous. Accuracy and flattery are frequently opposites.

When you photograph or describe someone, keep the particular detail rather than the flattering average. Try the same generosity on yourself, since the features you would edit out are usually the ones people know you by.