I picked up I40 and it looks very orange on me... I wasn't aware of the letterings and I thought it was simply the number "140". In hindsight I probably should have picked something in the "O" range... anyway aside from my poor choice of shade selection, I found this foundation to be very drying and highlighted all the dry spots on my face. I do NOT recommend this for anyone with dry skin.
I'm going to try this again in the summer when I'm a little tanner and when my face isn't dry anymore. I have high hopes since it got so many great reviews on here! :)

PROS: Coverage is not too much, not too little. Is VERY buildable. You can also mix it with a facial moisturizer to get a more sheer effect. Have used for 3 years in the past and never broke me out
CONS: made me look orange. (Have tried 3 shades now) EXPENSIVE ! I paid 40 bucks for this bottle.
BOTTOM LINE: I stopped using this product [after being loyal to it for 3 yrs] because within a few hours of using, it oxidized on my face- my forehead would have a ton of foundation in the middle and the rest of my face would look like it had nothing on it- it also darkens within time so my face would always be darker then my neck during the day TERRIBLE && embarrasing. It also made me SOOOO oily in my T-Zone. I have switched to Mac foundation and have been using it now. continued >>

I love the wide shade range, that's the main reason I bought it at the first place. The coverage is according to me light to medium and it gives a dewy finish though it doesn't last long, even with powder. It kind of melts of and if I accidentally touch my face it smudges off. After a couple of hours the most of the coverage is gone and what's left is an oily film with some flakes that didn't even show before I put it on. Worth to mention is that I'm not even oily...
Conlusion;
The coverage is okay, the bottle is horrible (without pump), it doesn't last long on my face, the bottle is empty within three weeks. Big plus for the shade range, though.

I really love this foundation... The first make up product I have tried from Shiseido, and it does not disappoint! It goes on smoothly, and offers a very nice coverage without being too heavy. I bought #120 Light Ivory and it was a perfect match for my skin (except when I got a little tanned in the summer of course)!! I have very oily skin though, and I found that by midday my skin would look pretty shiny and I would have to touch it up, although on less hot/humid days it was fine. I bought this in Australia, and for some reason it is SPF 15, not 17, although I don't really think this is a problem at all.

Good shelf life. After a few hours it felt like there was a film on my skin although you couldn't see any visible issues.. For that alone I had to rate a 3. Its medium to fulll coverage, matte, and Deep ochre matches medium olive skin almost perfectly. SPF makes you come out with whiteface in pics, which sucks.

I'd been using I4 for years until I realized that the shade was too pink for me! I went to a Shiseido counter and the sales lady picked out I2 for me and it balanced by yellow undertones much, much better. Overall, I was really about that. I like the natural coverage of this foundation without being cake-y. It's a little sheer and good for my combination skin, covering the occasional dry patch really well. My t-zone gets oily by mid-morning which I correct with the powder compact also in I2 and it does the trick. I've found that any liquid foundation won't be perfect because, of course, it's liquid and will let oil come through no matter what (unless you finish with powder). Overall, I'm happy with this brand and tend to buy all my make-up from Shiseido as their colors compliment my Asian skin well.

I was a sworn MAC fan for 10 years but over time, I thought my colour just looked dull.
Then I made the switch to Shiseido. This foundation lasts and sinks nicely into skin, giving a nice matt finish.
Nice base to work with other cosmetics eg. eyeliner, concealer, blush.
Noticed a massive difference going from MAC to this.

I love this Foundation. B60 is the perfect shade for me. Even out in mid afternoon bright sunlight I cannot see where it ends and my neck begins. I don't bring this below my jawline either, I guess I got lucky w/the shade as their colors are limited. It's interesting as I've the Powder version of this (Sheer Matifying Powder Foundation) and I had to use it in one shade lighter B40. I like both, but prefer this, the liquid formula. It slides on like silk. A little goes a long way though I'd call it Medium coverage if I just apply a larger quantity rather than building layers I can get it to a more full coverage. Just depends on how much you initially use. I think the pigments are ground fine as it looks like skin as opposed to makeup. It's not greasy whatsoever though niether is it dry. It finds a happy medium which suits me perfectly. It wears quite long, longer if you powder it down. It takes me through an 8-10 hour day easily, still looking "just applied." There are certainly less expensive bases, but I don't like them as much in any of the features I care about. There are more expensive foundations out there and I Would Not say I like them any better than this. Highly Recommended as with most Shiseido products.

its an ok product... i get oily even though the lady at the counter says it controls oil. i like it because i dont break out from it but i guess if oil is coming out and its sitting on my face i will break out eventually. jus dont use this in summer time!

This foundation is way too yellow and dry for me. I can make it "kinda" work with a damp sponge, but that makes it too heavy.

I got this in O60 and although it looked great at the dept store it was totally wrong for my skin tone. The O40 was too light and the O60 was too dark.. i needed something in between but their color range is very limited. I had to return it the next day.

This is my HG foundation. Whenever I find myself straying from this foundation and trying others, I always catch myself coming right back to this one.
Skin Type: I am NW20 and wear this in I20. I have moderately oily and acne prone skin.
Lasting Power: Without a powder, I find myself looking a bit shiny after about 4 hours. With a powder it lasts about 6-7 hours without a touch-up. Four hours may seem short to some, but the texture of this foundation really makes up for it.
Coverage/Texture: This is definitely a medium coverage foundation, it can be layered for a fuller coverage though. The texture of this foundation is really what keeps me coming back. I have a real problem with liquid foundation just because I have oily skin and feel as though as I am always aware of anything on my face. However, this foundation dries to a powdery (semi-matte) finish and leaves me feeling like I have nothing on my face. It sits well on my skin and does not settle or slide.
Packaging: It is in a glass bottle and while pretty, is very unpractical. I would much prefer a pump (I think anyone does), but I don't mind having to pour it.
Application: I have tried this with a regular foundation brush (think MAC 190 brush), a sponge, and my fingers. I highly despise the finish I got with a conventional foundation brush. I felt like it left me streaky and with a heavy layer of foundation just sitting on my face. I definitely prefer using this with either a damp sponge or my fingers.
This is a wonderful foundation for those with dry, combination, and moderately oily skin. However, those with very oily skin might want to avoid this foundation unless you want to touch up fairly often.

Pros:
Perfect Shade (Yellow Based, 060)
Blends Perfectly into Skin
Cons:
Expensive
Can Get Oily (Needs a Finishing Powder)
Doesn't Last all Day

I received this product as a gift - I normally wouldn't spend this much on foundation. I apply this over moisturizer and the Hard Candy Face Primer, then set it with a powder. I didn't like this foundation that much. The color was a bit too pink for my skin tone. It also had the issue of sliding around, instead of blending into the skin. It just seemed like it would sit on top of the skin. (This was an issue with or without the primer). The coverage is medium, but it doesn't really stay on for long before my face gets shiny. I replaced this with my Revlon Colorstay (Combination/Oily) and it worked much better for me. This foundation may just be meant for people with dryer skin than mine.

YES!! This is my HG foundation. I've tried so many others (Dior, Lancôme, Urban Decay, MAC, NARS, Laura Mercier) and keep coming back to this one. I've bought 6 of them so far. The O60 shade matches my NC35 skin perfectly and isn't too drying or too oily. And my face matches my neck! It's a medium coverage so I use it over a primer & concealer, but it really smoothes things out perfectly. I set it with a powder too, NARS Mountain or Shiseido's O60 powder foundation. Love! continued >>

Let me start by saying I was an avid user of Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation. Thick enough, great coverage and not horribly priced. But just like that, after seeing myself in those pesky visor mirrors in the car my face was PINK.....and my skin is not pink.
Thats when I remembered Shiseido ( oddly enough a gay male friend mentioned I try it a few months back). I took off to Macy's and had my makeup applied and it looked amazing, but low and behold ( like usual) They didnt have the powder she tried on me. In a desperate attempt to give me samples of the powder to hold me off, I explained to the woman " I want all of my makeup now, not samples" and I took off to a neighboring Macy's.......without remembering which liquid she tried on me......

I ended up with the Dual balancing foundation. Now although I have mixed feelings about this specific foundation, I am very verrrrrrry happy with the color match!
Before I go into Pros and Cons, let me start by saying I am Caucasian with fair skin, but being part Italian, my undertones are yellow. Shiseido is made in Asia and caters more to Asian skin tones. So if you have yellow, gold, or even orange undertones, congratulations you are 1 step from getting your perfect color.
I use, O20 foundation, which is natural Light Ochre. Its a fair color with more yellow than pink in it
I then use i00 for my powder (Perfect smoothing compact) which is Very Light Ivory.
My foundation and powder differ because the yellow undertones in my skin are subtle and I risk looking to yellow. The woman that matched me, and myself found adding an ivory powder evened out the tone.
MAC- Too orange
Clinique- Too Pink
Prescriptives- ( say they'll match you if they dont have your color, but those girls are lazy)
Bare Essentials- You're kidding right?
Shiseido- JUST RIGHT!

Pros:
1) The packaging is not that bad, a pump would be preferred, but I dont lose sleep over a glass bottle.
2) It blends very easily
3) The texture and thickness is light-moderate (but not nearly as heavy as Revlon)
4) Coverage is light to medium, having freckles I found doing full coverage is out of the question (unless I am moonlighting as a Geisha)

Cons
1)Price If you find you are late on your rent, beware, this stuff will break the bank ( 38.00 USD)
2) The first 2 days I wore it my skin looked like sh!t. It looked rough and my pores were large. Using primer helped....until that started working against me too. Then I found just taking care of my skin ( wash, tone moisturize) helped.
Overall, its not a bad foundation. But I can say Im siding more with it because for the first time in 3 years, my face matches my neck. I honestly feel the mistake came from thinking it was the same one I tried on. It hasn't made be break out, and its only oily when I use primer ( but thats because me and primer are sworn enemies).
I was lucky enough to score the Refining Foundation online for less that half price, so Ill need to try and compare ( or maybe even mix together!)
I won't buy this again not because I hate it, I just feel it could be better ( especially for the price), hopefully the refining foundation is as good as the reviews say it is.

My skin is combination and this product seems to promise a hydrating yet matte effect. Well, it didn't work on my skin. I got visible dry patches when I'm wearing this foundation. And I've already layered my skin with moisturizers beforehand. Wish it would work on me...

The average evaluation about this product certainly varies a lot depending on skin type and usual makeup routine from one person to another.
I prefer natural looks, this foundation doesn't look really natural but rather heavy, it's a double thing after all. The coverage isn't doubled though, neither is the lasting. If you're into no makeup looks, this is definitely only a winter foundation, looks too heavy for summer time. Be very cautious with the powder you use to fix it to avoid cakey looks.

My very first impression was that I fell in love with it completely. It lasted me like 3months and probably had lasted longer if the bottle had a pump. That is the biggest minus of the product for me, the design of the bottle isn't good at all and lots of product will be wasted without a pump.
However, the formula of this one is very light and blends in to your skin perfectly. Very good foundation to be used during summer months when you don't want/need that much coverage (besides this haves SPF so that's all you need). Very long lasting on your face and simply just perfect.
When the winter months started to get closer I realized I need thicker foundation so if they ever plan to release new design of the bottle with a pump I would totally buy it as my summer foundation again, unless that happens it's a no.

At the time I bought this product at a Shiseido make-up counter, I was in the hunt for a good foundation. I wanted something that will match my skin color/tone perfectly and knew that Shiseido had a wide range of color selection. I really wish I did more research before purchasing this product because the sales attendant did not tell me it does not suit oily skin (even though I told her I have really oily skin). I wish I can love this product because it does look super beautiful on my skin and covers all my post-acne hyperpigmentation perfectly. However, being that my skin is super oily, this just falls off my skin in 2 hours. If you have dry skin, you will probably love this foundation, but for oily gals like me, stay away from it!!!