Do you prefer to keep it vague so readers can project what they imagine, do you prefer to be specific to what you imagine the character to be or do you use images to showcase exactly how the character looks?

For me I tend to go back and fourth before being specific about what the character looks like and in some cases using pictures (mostly for doing celebrity based stories).

When writing original characters I tend to have a specific vision of what they look like and try to impart that at the start then reinforce it throughout. This usually comes through by descriptions of hair colour/style, fashion sense and build. I do wonder if I sometimes it comes through as repetitive in saying what they look like.

As a bonus topic, does what your character look like impact the choice of mess you choose to throw at them.

For me it does, as for example I would rarely cover a blonde character in custard (unless requested). Even outside of writing I prefer a stronger contrast in colour between the gunge and the recipient

So when I'm writing, blondes get chocolate, brunettes get strawberry and red heads get the vanilla. Someone with dyed hair with almost never get gunged with that colour of gunge

I prefer vague descriptions. When I read a story where the opening paragraphs are about specific fashion choices, I get bored. These details do tell you something about the character but are rarely relevant to the story. You can communicate that someone is posh or a tomboy or whatever without explaining every last detail of their appearance.
Now if the story is about clothes filling or destruction then it makes sense to go over every layer.

All this being said, I also prefer when the characters aren't just a generic blonde, brunette, and redhead with no other description. Or the description is just "curvy in all the right places" or just about her tits and ass. At least give me something like "curvy brunette in a floral sundress" or "petite businesswoman with her blone hair blonde hair pulled back in a neat bun sporting a smart blouse and matching skirt."

When I write for myself, I tend to include very detailed descriptions, including unique physical features, the way they move, hair color/style, jewelry, and detailed descriptions of clothing. I try to tone it down when I'm writing for others, because they most likely do not have the limited mental visual imagery problems I have. I don't "see" things in my mind; I think in words. With more description, I *know* what they look like, even if I can't visualize them.

I'll often use images with my stories for the same reason: I don't "see" them in my head, so having something to look at improves my experience, and also helps me keep the descriptions consistent.

As a reader, I get frustrated when writers only include vague descriptions or none at all, especially in scenes where the person is supposed to look unique or special. WAM stories without descriptions of the participants hold little interest to me, especially since my interest in WAM is much more visual rather than physical/sensual like a lot of people here.

Types of clothing and the general importance of appearance in the scene also affects how much description I want as a reader or provide as a writer. Casual outfits generally get a brief description unless they are unique, while formal outfits get more in-depth descriptions. If it's a story about shopping at the mall or dancing at a ball, I probably won't spend much effort on the descriptions, but if it's a WAM story involving the outfit or the character's outfit doesn't fit the scene (hiking in the woods in a ballgown for a photoshoot, for example), then I'll give a stronger description. For me as a writer, having a clear description of the outfit not only helps with consistency, but also lets me better use the clothing as a prop, especially in WAM.

All that said, too much description (especially in stories where the descriptions aren't necessarily relevant) can get repetitive and boring. For group/crowd scenes, a big list of descriptions up front is overwhelming and most is forgotten quickly. I prefer to use descriptions as they become relevant, with only basic descriptions when the characters are introduced. Sometimes an early general description of the group works great when paired with more limited specific descriptions that only mention what makes a specific character's appearance unique from the group.

In general, mixing the description in with the narration is often better than a paragraph of description, although I often forget this when writing. Mentioning the character nervously running her satin-gloved hand through her long black curls in one paragraph and adjusting the low-cut neckline of her corseted ballgown in another paragraph generally works better than describing her appearance all in one go.

Color contrast is very important for me, so I'll rarely have the mess match their hair, their skin, or their outfit. In group settings, though, I try to keep the people diverse and realistic, so there may be some participants who don't provide a big contrast. The scene or type of WAM matter too. For example, buffets provide a great mix for contrasts, but a cake fight or mud wrestling are relatively limited.

I do tend to use the slightly stereotypical 'tall blonde in tight fitting blue mini dress' description. But I feel this conveys an image to the reader whilst still leaving something to their imagination.
In most Wam related stories, and I may be wrong here, a general rather than too detailed description works best?

Like most things, descriptions aren't one-size-fits-all. It all boils down to personal preference.

For me it's a case by case basis. Sometimes it's important to get a specific image across, especially if it's a new character and extra-especially if it's a new series or standalone.

Then it depends on how important the individual character is. If they're going to be coming up a lot (MC for example), I'll try to describe their apperance in detail the first time they appear. If they're not that important to the plot, they probably won't get much beyond a hair colour and a facial expresion.

Ironically, I don't think it's something I do very well though so I end up landing somewhere in the middle a lot of the time. I'm never going to have fantasy novel descriptions of a room, but i'm not willing to leave it at "blonde with big tits" either.

Like others have already said, I tend to limit the description of my character's appearance to what's needed for the story. Part of this is because my opinion of what's attractive is likely to be different from my readers, so I may simply describe them as "attractive and smartly dressed" and let the reader's imagination fill in the rest.

I do include some descriptions when it helps to identify who is taking part in actions I'm describing such as "the redhead then hit him with a pie". As for clothing, again I tend to not over describe what my characters are wearing except when they might change into a new set, for example what gear a gameshow has provided for the character to change into before they engage in messy challenges.

I'd not considered the colour of someone's hair and what they should or shouldn't get gunge with. I'm now going to have to go and re-read lots of stories aren't I...

Personally, I much prefer when an author describes the characters, especially the main ones (especially the women).

I don't subscribe to the idea of keeping character descriptions vague for the sake of letting the reader imagine who's being written about. It's your story and vision, and the descriptions are the way you sell that vision to me as a reader. The less detail is in the description, the more it reads to me as if you're not actually that invested in what you're writing, and if you don't care, why should I? There is an upper limit, of course. I don't need to know a character's exact measurements or every detail of every item of clothing they're wearing, but I need enough to get a clear image in my head of a character.

When it comes to writing my own characters, I tend to make them in the character creator of a video game first, usually either The Sims 4 or WWE 2K24, just to make sure I've got a visual guide I can use to keep things fairly consistent. I also tend to assume that if someone's reading one of my stories with a recurring character, they've probably read my previous stories (or at least, can go back and read them) so I'm a bit lighter on details in that case. Maybe I'll just say how their outfit, hair, make-up and/or nails are different from last time.

As for mess, I definitely agree with Slimelurker about enjoying a bit of contrast between a character's hair, skin or clothing and the mess itself. That's easy to write with gunge, since it can be any colour, but I worry less about it if I'm using a more specific mess. Whipped cream is basically always white, beans are always orange, custard only tends to come in three colours/flavours and so on.

I am by NO means a writer, but I am an avid reader. And it's its easy to get the descriptions correct. Make them perfect. But perfect is in the eye of the reader. For me, I like a lot of detailsbut not too much. Easy isn't it. I love details that let me see in my mind what she is wearing, what the flowers smell like, how the setting of the sun shows of the color of her eyes. I don't need to know what every grain of sand in a desert looks like.
Too much or too little of any detail is in the end in the eyes of the reader. See, I told you it was easy. Now let's talk about another easy thing, solving world peace.

I can only write stories that I enjoy and for me the character being described is very important. Firstly I just want to be able to visualise them as accurately as possible, WAM is visually very exciting for me. Secondly the destruction of a ladies outfit id a key part of the mess process so a description of all her clothes is important. I do cheat a bit on this by including pictures of main characters. Finally the character of the character is important - are they going to be horrified by the mess, do they find it funny, do they love messing others?

On hair colour and style - as with clothes the messing up of hair that has been patiently made to look at its best is a great feature. I agree contrasting colours is helpful, as a blonde this leaves plenty of options for me chocolate, baked beans but I avoid cream and custard.

I do try to pace the introduction of the character details into the story as too much right at the start is too much I agree.

I've gone back and forth on this. As others have pointed out, it depends on the story and what you're trying to do with it, and with a longer story or a continuing series it's a good idea to have a consistent mental picture. But even if I describe a character as "plump" or "slender" or "curvaceous," different readers will have their own idea of what that means. I'm fine with that! I tend not to go into detail on the shape of the characters' facial features unless there's something really distinctive. (And of course, the ladies get more attention and description than the men; in my series with Tom and his wife Mindy and their friend Holly, I hardly describe Tom at all, as he really is a self-insert character.)

I spend a lot more time on costumes and clothing in my WAM fiction than I do in other kinds of stories because it's going to get trashed and the descriptions are a big part of the appeal (for me), and to a lesser extent because I enjoy the cosplay/roleplay element even if it's a more realistic story (I don't doubt that some people would enjoy being dommed by a woman in casual shorts and a tee shirt, but it's my story so I'm going to go with the leather catsuit!). But I agree that front-loading a bunch of descriptive text is off-putting and best avoided.

You're telling a story. What do you need to describe? It's better to show than tell - blocks of description can be prose, and worldbuilding - but Pratchett tells a better story than Tolkien, because he doesn't describe what you're about to see, he uses words to paint a picture good enough to show it to you.

There's a balance to it. What that means depends on the scene. If the clothes are the focus, describe them. But have more detail for things that matter, and try and do it in passing so it doesn't feel artificial. Gameshow? You could plainly describe what they're wearing, but does it work better to describe how the T-shirt fits? Is she drumming her fingers on the shorts looking up nervously at the valve above her wondering if it's going to drip before someone pulls the lever?

I don't know, there's really no rule for this. Just sort of go with the flow and try not to go too far off into the woods. Enough details to spark something in the mind's eye, but don't get too bogged down into it (if you'll excuse the pun).