In iColorama, I used Adjust/Tonelab preset 4 for tonal separation. You can see that the image is rough and grainy. But the processing steps I will use will almost completely rewrite the pixels, so the main thing is to have a big enough canvas for a good quality image.

Now I opened the image in the Metabrush app. I used Paint mode, and on a new layer I painted over the image using a large, medium opacity Petro 13/13 brush. As brush source image, I used the same image I was painting over. In brush settings, I used maximum spacing, maximum position variance, 0.60 rotation variance, and no structure or shadow. Then I opened the image in iColorama, and using Effect/Blend, I blended the Metabrush image over the woman, using a brush mask to protect the eyes. I tried several blend modes and slider settings, including the Lightness and Gray sliders under Set.

I used Form/Warp to change the shape and expression of her face and to fill the canvas. Then I used Form/Crop to crop.

I applied Effect/Denoise to reduce roughness in preparation for using Effect Raise. Try all the presets in Denoise to see what works best. Now I used Effect/Raise at low opacity for a bit of emphasis. If I had anticipated using ET-Flow again, as I do below, I could just skip these two steps (the Denoise and the Raise).

I'm planning to use ET-Flow for texture. But first I want to simplify the image. I used Style/Simplify preset 17 at reduced opacity.