I tend to go with the presence approach. I don't find writing the character descriptions all that difficult, but I do think it's a little waste of time dedicating a whole paragraph to just how their bone structure is. Like [@Vilageidiotx] said, explaining [i]too[/i] much can work against the overall description. It's why I sometimes like to go the brevity route. Now, don't get me wrong. When the mood strikes, I can dedicate 1000+ words on just the appearance alone. I just have yet to be struck by said mood. :lol