This is a fun new line with pint-sized packaging and wearable colors that suit a variety of skin types. Enjoy!

Being the very un-corporate type myself, I always love hearing about women who make their dream of starting their own cosmetic or skin care line into a reality. This is the success story of Passport Cosmetics creator Meredith McGann. Last year, she changed careers and joined up with a friend to start Passport as a line of cosmetics "designed for the modern glamour girl-on-the-go." They have some fun products and great colors that I would encourage you to take a look at. Here's what I got to play with :)

Speed Eyeshadow ($18)
Each slim compact holds a lightly shimmery shade that smoothes on easily and wears well for about 6 hours before some minimal creasing settles in. Of the 16 available colors, I tried Bullet Train (grape purple with pink shimmer), Rickshaw (copper with subtle silver shimmer), Orient Express (peach gold), Scooter (iridescent purple), Concorde (pale pink) and 747 (gunmetal olive with multicolor shimmer, like blue, green and pink); for my fair complexion I favored Bullet Train, Scooter, Concorde and Rickshaw (used as liner). The powders are soft and fine, and blend easily. The thing I find curious, considering that these shadows are supposed to be portable, is that there is no mirror and no brush in the compact. I can appreciate that many women carry one or both in their purse, but on the off chance that you have nothing, it would be handy to at least have a mirror in the compact (you can always apply the color with your finger if you have to).

Jetstream Shadowstick ($15)
I loved the ease and colors of Jetstream as a great alternate, or even layer, for powder shadows. Tropic of Cancer is a light pink pearl shimmer and Longitude is a light coppery bronze; both are nice as a highlight shade or all over on the lid for a frosty/shimmery look. These are creamy and swipe on easily straight from the tube. I got about 5 hours of wear before some small creasing started.

Nomad Anywhere Color ($16)
I must have a hundred pots and tubes of cream blush in my bathroom, and I seem to like them all for their own reasons. Nomad is similar in packaging to Tarte Flush, but Nomad is more creamy, like MAC Cream Colour Base. It also packs a fair amount of pigment, reminding me of Stila Convertible Color, so be careful not to apply too much. I tried JFK, a rose petal pink well suited to fair to medium skin tones looking for color "pop" for the cheeks. The creamy texture goes on easily and wears well without fading for most of the day. If you plan to wear the same makeup from day to evening, you might want to touch up just a bit to make the color look fresh.

Wanderlust Radiater Cheek Color ($16)
Since I'm not that into shimmer, I found this face stick to be completely useless. I'm not sure why it's called cheek color, since these pale shimmer shades (Alpenglow and Bondi Beach Bronze) are really fine for highlighting anywhere on the face. If you like to add shimmer on your face and you like a creamy product, this has a nice texture much like Nomad - just in much lighter shades.

Destination Lip Tint ($14)
Don't let the name "lip tint" fool you - these lipsticks pack a fair punch of color. Of the 12 shades, I tried Bargained in Bangkok (brown berry) and Karaoked in Kyoto (rich raspberry). I like the smooth, light texture that glides on easily and fairly mistake-proof (if, like me, you aren't that coordinated with lipstick, this one is forgiving if you slip outside the lipline a bit). It also feels moisturizing without being thick or sticky.

Takeaway Anti Gloss ($12)
If this line is about portability, then this is the primary example. Takeaway is a slim, small tube of lipstick that goes on like gloss. The sponge applicator wand makes it easy to apply and blend the color, whether you wear it alone or over other shades. Each one is moist, shiny and slightly tacky like a gloss, but has more pigment like a lipstick. They also have an alluring scent of green tea - much nicer than the plastic-y smell of most lipcolors. Of the six shades, I tried Way Out (rich boysenberry), Lira (medium beige with pink shimmer), Baht (pale pink with rose shimmer), and Quid (lilac pink). The only thing about these is that they aren't as forgiving as Destination Lip Tint, so for ease of use, I think I would sooner choose the lip tint. If you are more skilled or plan to apply the colors at home, these are nice glosses in a pretty range of colors.

You can find Passport at Sephora.com, but for the most information about the line, check out PassportCosmetics.com. You can see all the products, get makeup tips, and find out where to buy offline.

review: 2/03