I sit smack dab in the middle of the 11 shades with No. 5 Warm Beige which is for tan skin with warm undertones. I was colour matched and Warm Beige was the "closest" shade to my skin but as you can imagine "closest" doesn't mean right.
I bought mine from Mecca Cosmetica for $96 (which was part of an offer of a one hour consultation with a Hourglass MUA and I feel that I got my money's worth). I have used this enough in the past 10 months to know that I will not be repurchasing it.
It comes in the signature Hourglass packaging, elegant and sleek. Unfortunately the pump was faulty and I wasn't about to go all the way back to change it; it worked for about 10 pumps and then gave up on me. Had the pump actually been functional I believe that it does a good job dispensing the small amount you need. It's a semi fluid consistency which provides medium to full coverage.
My preferred method of foundation application is a makeup sponge but it doesn't work well with this foundation in my opinion. It took me 2 weeks to figure that out - the product always looked wet as if it hadn't set properly and it reminded me of cheap foundation that easily slides off of your face (oh yes).
I swapped to a foundation brush because that's what the Hourglass MUA used on my face and it worked much better. The product isn't as wet, it almost looks semi dewy and flawless (from afar). I prime my face quite well but found that the foundation has a tendency to sink into the lines around my temples and under my eyes. I use a kabuki brush to try and work the product into those areas but they're still visible - I don't have this problem with my MAC Studio Fix Fluid.
The shade itself has a white cast and if I'm not careful it can look ashy on me. When I'm building up the coverage I found that more layers makes the foundation appear more muddy on me. Note that I have been colour matched but I can't go any lighter or any darker so I'm making do with the best shade for me.
I love how this feels on my skin; as if I have nothing on but when I look in the mirror it's just not flawless or natural. This is not to say it's ugly but you can easily see that I have "stuff" on my face rather than "oh wow I love her makeup today". I'm looking forward to finishing this product and moving onto the next Hourglass product - Skin Tint - I'm not giving up :-)
I have this in Ivory and I find the colour very dark for an ivory tone, its undertones are yellow/orangy but not overpowering. Easy pump bottle and a little goes far, the consistency is medium and gives very good med/full coverage. I find it long lasting and my skin feels soft whilst using it. Also it does not skin into mu lines around my mouth which is amazing! I got it off facebook for $50 and am happy eith what I got.