The fall 2014 collections offered up plenty of exciting and wearable new fashion for the coming season, but that wasn’t the only reason to celebrate the recent runway shows. A new and noteworthy group of young women, with backgrounds as diverse as their skin tones, was spotted on catwalks from New York to Paris—offering a far more expansive definition of beauty than the largely porcelain complexions that have dominated the industry of late.

Model of the moment (and Detroit native) Riley Montana walked at shows from Opening Ceremony to Rochas, while Brazilian beauty Laís Ribeiro turned heads in an exquisite embroidered Oscar de la Renta evening dress. Meanwhile, Dutch stunner Imaan Hammamwas cast at an impressive 27 shows, and Nashville newcomer Binx Walton made major star turns at Fendi, Bottega Veneta, and Balmain.

Representing a mix of skin tones that range from honey to caramel to darkest chocolate, these models are a great snapshot of what our global society looks like right now—and yet until recently, with a few notable exceptions, finding the right foundation shade has remained a stubbornly tricky task for many women of color.

In recent years, the top beauty brands, from MAC to NARS, have broadened their existing shade ranges with truer, more believable pigments made for markets ranging from the United States to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Still, according to the makeup artist Sir John, whose clients include Beyoncé and Joan Smalls, the challenges of the right color match may extend past even the most comprehensive foundation range.

“Latin-American and African-American women often have a multidimensional skin tone,” he explains, so that within the same face, there may be natural variations in one’s complexion from the forehead to the cheeks to the chin. Women of Asian descent, on the other hand, tend to have more uniformity in their complexion and small pores, says Sir John, meaning an allover veil of a light coverage formula can be a better option. “It’s all about the glow and letting the cheekbones stand out.”

Of course, who better than these striking women themselves to weigh in on the best formulas—and the best product combinations—they’ve discovered backstage and on set? Here, seven of our favorite faces share their top foundation and concealer picks.