Now you don't know where that money has been! Nice idea. A bit larger DOF and get the chin in focus. Add some light from the top or side to differentiate the face from the neck and add a bit more dimension to the picture. Maybe we could see some white teeth?
A suggestion - I think this would be very nice as a b&w photo. I can't quite pinpoint it, but there is something missing in this one, I feel it should be more dramatic. On the opposite side however, nice choice for this challenge and nice job.