MsOz

It's not that big of a deal. It just softens edges and puts a bit of a darkening effect on it.

Here's an example using a commercial filter, which provides more consistent results than a stocking...
Here's another that you can zoom in on to see how subtle the effect is. That's why it was so popular for portraits, because it softens age lines so well.

StudioJ

\:]

StudioJ

I had one of these filters along with a soft focus lens years ago but sold them when I started working with Photoshop, its much easier to replicate the effect.

You're best bet is to use a technique for skin softening, there is a company out there that makes a filter pack to cover all the Cokin and a variety of other filters but I can't for the life of me remember the name of it.

J

ladyfinger007

Wouldn't it suffice to use any blurring filter (including median, diffuse>anisotropic , and the uberuseful Gaussian blur, then faded to multiply? or duplicate layer, blur, then play with the advanced blurring options?