I was very excited to try this foundation when it came out; I have very oily, clog-prone acne-prone skin, and with my caramel skin tone with strong yellow undertones, I was hoping to (finally!) find a foundation that matches my skin tone well, does not turn me into a grease ball by midday, and does not make me break out. I was matched to BA64 at my local Chanel counter which turned out to be too dark as it oxidizes on me in no time. The 2nd trip got me a sample of BA54; I was floored by the finish, the coverage (I have acne marks) and the colour match. My verdict

colour match: very good selection of colour range (hey, even I found a match!)

finish: one of the most beautiful finishes I ever tried, a velvety semi- matte that stays put, even and true for up to 4 hours on my skin. It does not fade even after 8 hours but turns (like most foundations out there) shiny over time. Finish comes to 2nd among my fav foundations (my #1 is Sisley's phyto-teint eclat).

Coverage: definitely a medium coverage, hides my old acne marks nicely without needing to layer.

Here comes the not-so good things about this product.

Spf 10 - at this day and age, who are they kidding? It has no appreciable sun protection whatsoever, unless you are prepared to slather it on so thick you are wearing a mask.

Alcohol is one of the main ingredients; may be responsible for ladies with dry skin feeling a dragging sensation. Personally it did not bother me being so oily but some say alcohol is an irritant nevertheless and may make one even more oily.

The Fragrance. Oh boy, that fragrance!!! When I first put this foundation on in the morning, it did not bother me so much. I figured it would eventually go away - so wrong! The smell became more and more obvious as the day wore on; by the end of the day it was nauseating - I literally got a headache from it. I love perfume, wear it all the time so I am not exactly the type sensitive to fragrance. I loved the finish of this makeup so much, I gave it a 2nd chance: I tried it the next day but had to wash it off a hour later - I just could not bear that smell/stench.

Not able to wear a foundation due to its odour - now this was a first. Sorry, no way I can possibly bring myself to purchase this product.

This foundation is only suitable for certain skin types in my opinion. If you have oily or blemished skin I can't imagine this foundation being the one for you. It's quite greasy and doesn't have great coverage on spots. I apply this over my Estée Lauder double wear foundation so I get the coverage of double wear and glowiness of chanel.

Beautiful coverage. However VERY dry. Must apply primer for smooth application. Best done with fingers. Work quickly. The lift lumiere much more slippery. But finish is luminous on this. Can splotch after a while however. Good only part of the year for me.

I own all the Chanel foundations, and I purchased this one as a last chance for Chanel, as pretty much most of their other foundations I found disappointing in some way.

This foundation is fantastic. It gives a matte finish and yet, has a gorgeous luminous glow. It isn't dewy as such... just... glowey.

It is not greasy, and as someone who oils up quite easily, I can say that in the subtropical heat, I have had it on for 4 hours, and I have yet to reach for my powder.

It hasn't oxidised on my skin (I am wearing 20 Beige - I mention this as in the Vitalumiere #30 turned ORANGE on me, but #20 did not).

It was very easy to blend, but does collect up a bit around the nose area. Even using a sponge, I couldn't blend it out completely in that area. Otherwise, blends brilliantly.

Edit: after wearing it all ay, i have decided i still do like this foundation, but:

*Over about 4ish hours, that 'perfect' look fades as the foundation settles. If you are an oily gal, this means blotting and powdering. It still looks nice, but the even look does fade with time, and more of your skin comes through as coverage fades.

i don't regret the purchase of this foundation, I would buy it again. If this changes, I will come update my review.

Also note that I wrote this review with skin that has been prepped with primer and SS.

This was recommended by the Chanel SA instead of Mat Lumiere because I wanted a long wearing, matte finish, polished work foundation but not too matte!
This is mattifying on my combo skin and I really liked it when applied. I was matched to Beige 30 (I was previously matched to Beige 20 which was perfect in winter) which may still be a little dark on me before summer really hits.

I apply this with a foundation brush followed by a sponge to blend out edges and it's perfect!

Like with the Clarins Everlasting review I just posted, this is not the foundation for you if you want an absolutely natural, light foundation but I don't think Chanel markets it as that.

It can appear a little mask like to begin with but once it settles on my skin, it almost melts in and my skin has some luminosity without being oily.

I purchased my bottle in November 2011, And it now mid September 2012 And I'm almost out of it.

This foundation is med to full coverage, makes my skin flawless. Lasts a whole day and (I have normal - combo skin)

I never used a powder over this, I don't need to because it lasts all day and might look cakey with powder

Colormatch is perfect.. Better than MAC

It smells very nice but maybe a little bit too strong for other people.

I love this foundation !!

Update 9/17/12: After several days of using this sample foundation Rose Beige 22, my mature skin developed dry patches and bumps. Terrible foundation for my mature skin. And, this foundation does NOT provide adequate sun protection and it oxidized.

I prefered this over the Vitalumiere sample which oxidized to an orange, color after several hours. I think the sample color may have been off, and the Perfection has a finish similar to Clinque's Even Better.

this foundation lasts all day, it is matte on me, i dont need touch ups at all throughout the day. i currently have normal to dry skin and it does accentuate dry patches so i make sure i exfoliate well before wearing this. i wear beige 20 which is a little light right now due to the summer tan but i can still make it work with bronzer and most days, i only wear this on the center of my face anyway. in the cooler months, this shade matched me pretty well. the coverage is a true medium coverage. this is a good foundation if you need all day wear without much touch up at all.

complaints...the pump gets clogged when i dont use it for couple of days. so it will squirt out a clump of dried foundation when i pump it and also, you have to be quick with the application of this foundation because it sets fast.

this is so damn good! i love the coverage, staying power, the scent and everything. i have this in beige 20, and it blend perfectly with my asian skin. the coverage is good enough i think (not really high and make me look like a clown). its not cakey, oil control is good, and i loooooove the smell! the pump is good too, it makes us easier to control the amount of use. also, easy to blend and veeeeeeeeery light like i wear nothin in my face! my face feel more subtle when im using this. i wud definitely repurchase!!

This product is ridiculous. I mean ridiculously good. My slightly acne prone combination skin with a few acne marks have been turned into flawless firm and clear skin with just a 1 cent portion of this product every morning. It smells great, it applies well and it goes on smoothly. I never thought this would happen but i really hope they don't discontinue this one. It's really perfect. Some people even say I look radiant! :-) Oh j'adore!!