[Cor]

Like OP, I am guilty of not reading character descriptions very often. I feel that most long descs I see are way too long and expecting someone to read a description that takes half your output window in a MUD environment (where people are doing fast, one-line poses or says) is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure I got pk'd while reading one of those monster descriptions once.

I like to write concise long descs that don't take up half the page. If I can at least describe the major attributes of my character (skin color, relative height, hair, build, general face shape / info, any other noticeable qualities), then I am happy. Some of my better descriptions are only five to seven sentences.

I do something similar to the OP where I prioritize important / unusual features first. I start by describing the most noticeable qualities, then connect some of the items to each other using verbs as I go from most interesting to least. In general, I don't use an actual template where I substitute adjectives, but I follow the same style for all of my characters.

As for $5 words, I try to avoid extremely pretentious language (twinkling emerald orbs, as you put it). Instead, my gimmick is using action verbs to chain together the description instead of saying 'He has blue eyes'. It tends to make the description much more interesting to read and lets you describe your character with simple adjectives. It also helps make the desc shorter.