Skin IS soft and requires softer shading; but it seems you've hit all the wrong areas or there's little to no contrast! Oops!
I know that usually, the forehead, nose, cheeks and lower lip/chin are usually the ones light hits the most, so you should make sure those ares are usually lit up!
...Also, view the face more as a three-dimensional shape, not just a flat surface. Try drawing out lines, draw sideways heads and draw a grid on it, "draw" the surface.
As for pencil shading, I have a few tips:
- always make strokes in the same direction (so all lines should be parallel)
- go over the shaded area with the pencil softly (for a softer/more blended effect, do circles or crisscrossing lines), then apply stronger pressure in the darkest area
- while doing lineart, keep it sharp and apply clean and strong/more prominent lines for the bigger objects/sections, and then slightly lighter pressure for details/smaller objects