For years we’ve had two primary kinds of foundation from which to choose: creamy, glow-inducing formulas for dry skin and mattifying blends for oily complexions. That left out women who wanted to control oil in the T-zone yet still look radiant. Until this fall. Bobbi Brown’s new powder foundation is a hybrid of its predecessors: It sops up oil all day while deploying light-diffusing particles to give skin a ?flattering, luminous finish. Our testers went wild for the effect. "As I’ve aged, my complexion has become dull, yet I still get breakthrough shine. This foundation erased both," said one tester. Available in 20 shades. _$40; bobbibrown.com

Part skin treatment, part cosmetic, this new brainchild of Howard Murad, MD, promises to control oil, shrink pores, make your makeup last longer-and impart a dewy glow (hence the product name). Talk about a multitasker. And according to our testers, the product achieved all of this-and more. "In a word, love," said one. "This product goes on smoothly and made everything I put on top-my foundation, blush, concealer-look smoother too. My only complaint is that it doesn’t come in a bigger bottle!" Testers also said it worked well even if they elected not to wear any makeup on top. "My skin tends to get oily, and I have large pores by my nose. When I put this on, I noticed an immediate improvement-so much so that I chose to skip foundation," said one. And the one-shade-fits-all color seemed to live up to its claim. "I was skeptical of the so-called universal shade, but once I applied it, it really did just blend in," a panelist said. _$35; murad.com

Back in the 1970s, "mood" lip color (much like mood rings) was supposed to deliver a customized result based on your body’s chemistry. But let’s be honest: The Day-Glo shade of fuchsia that usually developed (depending on your emotions) was flattering to very few. Not true of DuWop’s new nude lip color, a modern interpretation of the idea. "The lip color was beautiful yet slightly different, on both my sister (a brunette) and me (a blonde)," said one tester. Another elaborated: "I always thought nude lips would make the rest of my face look really washed out. But that didn’t happen at all. In fact, this color made my lips look fuller and my eyes even brighter." A third tester summed it up: "This is quite simply the best lipstick I’ve tried in a very long time." _$22; sephora.com

Everyone appreciates a hardworking product, and this tinted nail strengthener scored high in testers’ books. They praised its "really pretty, sheer color"; as one woman said, "It made my nails look healthier, and I liked the shade so much, I didn’t bother to put polish on top." Several also commented on the gel coat’s ability to make their nail lacquer last longer (the company doesn’t make that claim, but several testers swore they saw a difference). And all the testers who tried it said they noticed that their nails seemed to crack and peel less. _$29; qvc.com