Skin processing noob

i have been wondering how photographers get this look to the skin in their shots:
http://farm4.static.fl​ickr.com …3123661869_99e6​9fa5ea.jpg

or the first picture that loads here:
http://www.jeremysaffe​r.com/
(a dude laying in a sheet)

is that mostly makeup? or is there a way to get super smooth natural looking skin?

please view my current work:
www.matterandmovement.​com

so you can tell me what i might be doing wrong and how to correct it.


thanks

guys, please help me out. can you at least point me in the right direction to look? i want to take my processing to the next level by achieving this look:
http://halaajam.files.​wordpress.com/2010/12/​hala-ajam5.jpg

any help is appreciated

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=HwtuG107ack

I can't see what Youtube link that is, but I'm assuming it's cameron's "A Perfect Lie." Watch it, try it, watch it again, try it again.

Like he states in the video, it's not the "usual" method of blurring and masking; with those methods you lose a lot of definition and texture in the face. With cameron's method you preserve the texture, and you end up with skin that looks like a person, instead of skin that looks like wax or plastic or photoshop.

Many people tell me, "OMG you use the clone tool" ...my answer "HELL YEA...

CLone, Dogde, Burn, Patch Tool...are my main line of tools. Learn um, use um, love um...Good luck young Jedi

THE HOLY GRAIL!! thanks guys this is exactly what i needed!