Middle of Somewhere

July 23, 2018

How to Minimize Your Beauty Bag for Summer Travel

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.

When it comes to traveling, I have a horrible habit of overpacking. Raise your hand if you’re with me on this! Not only do I bring way too many outfits, I tend to bring more makeup and beauty products than I need. I have quite a few trips coming up beginning in August, so I figured it was time to start downsizing my beauty bag for travel. When I am packing, I always make sure to bring products that I know and love. Travel is not the best time to try out something new in my experience!

You all know that my love for Olay products is strong, so I always make sure their products are in my beauty bag when I’m going out of town. I recently started using the new Olay Whip Regenerist with SPF 25 that I picked up at CVS, and am in love with yet another Olay product. This one is truly the unicorn of moisturizers! I’m always on the lookout for beauty products that can make minimizing my beauty bag easier. I’m excited to share with you some tips I’ve learned along the way.

How to Minimize Your Beauty Bag for Summer Travel:

1. Pack a skincare/beauty product that serves multiple functions:

The best thing about Olay Regenerist Whip with broad spectrum SPF 25 is that is can be used as sunscreen, moisturizer, and primer in one. That means downsizing from three beauty products to one in your travel bag. I usually only use this in the mornings since it has SPF in it, but in service of trying to minimize, you could totally use this one both morning and night. You may remember that I shared how I incorporated Total Effects Whips into my winter beauty routine. Now that it’s summer, it’s important for me (and my skin!) to switch things up a bit and add SPF. The Regenerist formula is truly my favorite of all Olay products I’ve tried. Nothing compares to its anti-aging formula that reduces fine lines and wrinkles.

2. Find a makeup palette that can be used on multiple areas of the face:

Finding a palette that is both travel friendly and functional can be a challenge. Once you find the right one, it is magical! The one I am using today can be used as eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, and a highlighter, all in one small compact. I also make sure to pack a good waterproof eyeliner and mascara, as well as concealer, foundation, and a setting spray. Since you’re going on vacation, throwing in a fun bold lipstick is always a good idea.

3. Try to carry as many travel sized products as possible:

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s sometimes trickier than you’d think. I find myself collecting travel sized products throughout the year that I receive as samples. A lot of the samples, however, are not products I would typically use. As I mentioned earlier, trying out new products on a trip has never works out, so I stick to products I trust. Thankfully now a lot of the products I use are sold in travel sizes, which always makes packing my beauty bag a lot less cluttered. I try to limit my packing of full sized items to 2-3 products. I no longer dread trying to pack my beauty bag, and am really looking forward to my upcoming trips! Be sure to stop by your local CVS to pick up Olay Regenerist Whip with SPF 25 to help minimize your beauty bag and make packing for your upcoming trips stress free!

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July 20, 2018

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Top 10 Picks & What I Purchased

As you probably already know by now, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has been in full swing since last week. I mentioned on my Instagram stories (@lindsayrutland) that I was little underwhelmed by the sale, and only had purchased a few items. The first of my orders actually came in Thursday evening, which included the BLANKNYC moto jacket. The quality of this jacket is so amazing for the price (under $65!). I can see myself wearing it all fall/winter long! I am anxiously awaiting the rest of my order, and will definitely show you everything on my IG stories once it’s in. On a side note, the home section of the sale is actually really good this year. I plan to share my top 10 home picks with you on Tuesday, plus a giveaway so you can shop the sale with a little extra cash. In the meantime, my top 10 picks are below!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Top 10 Picks:

Zella Live In High Waist Leggings – Would I even be a blogger if I didn’t get a pair of these? I bought my first pair last year during the sale, and couldn’t resist the navy pair this year!

BLANKNYC Moto Jacket – I thought long and hard about this one, but knew I had to have it (and that it would sell out fast!) I purchased the black, and would say it runs a bit small.

BP. Stitch Curve Hem Cardigan – You know I had to throw at least one cardigan in there. I basically live in cardigans

beautyblender Set – One of the first things I knew I wanted to purchase. I think it’s a great deal for 2 beautyblenders, and I love the travel case it comes with!

Dolce Vita Perforated Booties – These will definitely be purchased soon!

Madewell Leather Bucket Bag – The verdict is still out on this one. It’s in my wishlist for now, but the reviews haven’t been great. I originally wanted the perforated transport bag, but thought it was too similar to other bags I have.

Baublebar Drop Earrings – Baublebar has been my go-to for statement earrings for years, and these are too pretty to pass up!

Free People January Tee – I already own this tee and can say it’s worth every penny, especially when it’s only $31! I love the oversized fit, and it’s perfect for layering.

Hunter Rain Boots – Grab them now for $50 off! I am so glad I finally invested in a pair of these. Totally worth the price, and the only pair of rain boots you need.

Topshop Midi Dress – Midi dresses are my favorite, and this bold floral is so pretty for fall!

Shop my Picks:

July 19, 2018

Red Statement Earrings: The Weekly Style Edit

Happy Thursday friends! This week has felt like it’s flown by, and I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. Exactly three weeks from today I will be on my way to Atlanta for the very first time and I can’t wait! The best part is I’ll be reunited with some of my blogging besties, including Megan from The Fashionista Momma! We have only met in person once last year, and I am looking forward to hanging out more. I’m also really looking forward to attending my first ever blog conference, so get ready for tons of conference spam #sorrynotsorry!

Onto today’s outfit. You guys know I am a sucker for a jumpsuit! I’m not even embarrassed to admit that this is the 3rd black jumpsuit that I own. Each one has it’s own unique accents, like the gorgeous embroidered top on this one that I recently picked up thanks to Macy’s. When wearing a solid jumpsuit, I like to jazz it up a bit with some fun jewelry. Honestly, you can never go wrong with a pair of red statement earrings! I always love a good pair of Sugarfix by Baublebar earrings, and couldn’t resist this red pair. I clearly have a thing for red lately!

Today is link up day, so be sure to join Megan and I below! Add one of your recent outfit posts to the link up, and get inspired by all of the other beauties that join us. Also, be sure to use #TheWeeklyStyleEdit on Instagram, so we can share our favorites.

Wearing:

Lauren Ralph Lauren Jumpsuit c/o Macy’s

Target Nude Heels

GiGi New York Clutch c/o

Sugarfix by Baublebar Statement Earrings c/o

Karen Walker Sunglasses

Shop the Post:

July 12, 2018

Shorts for Tall Girls: The Weekly Style Edit

Oh shorts… one of my least favorite pieces of clothing ever. This is only the second time I have ever shared myself in a pair of shorts on Middle of Somewhere. Why do I dislike shorts so much you may be wondering (0r not). As a tall girl with thicker legs, finding shorts can be nearly impossible. They’re always way too short for me and tend to hug my thighs in all of the most unflattering ways. If you’ve been a reader for awhile, you also know that my legs are probably my least favorite body part. I’m not trying to sound negative, but rather be honest because hey, we all have body parts we would rather conceal!

When summer began, I decided it was time to find a pair of shorts that I actually felt good in. This was no easy feat! It is just way too hot here some days that hiding behind my jeans is not an option. I spent so much time Googling variations of the “best shorts for tall girls” without much luck. Then I decided to stick with what I know and I searched around online at Gap. I love Gap for so many reasons, especially because they offer tall lengths in most of their jeans/shorts/pants. The shorts I’m wearing today have 5.5″ inseam (an extra 0.5″ because I ordered them in tall). I also went up one size to make sure they were a little looser on my legs, which is way to go if you have thicker thighs!

If you’re looking for a cute pair of black shorts, be sure to head over to Megan’s post to see how she styled a pair today. We would also love for you to join us for The Weekly Style Edit link up at the end of the post. Bonus points if you want to share your shorts outfits with us!

Wearing:

Lucky Brand Eyelet Top c/o Macy’s (on sale for under $40!)

Gap Midrise 5″ Shorts

Steve Madden Wedges (old, but identical pair here)

Madewell Skinny Belt

Made by Mary ‘Mama’ Necklace

Old Navy Bag (old, linked a few options below)

Karen Walker Sunglasses

Shop the Post:

July 10, 2018

June Beauty Hits and Misses

This post has been in the works for a few weeks already, and I’m excited to finally be sharing it! If you follow my Instagram stories (@lindsayrutland), you may have seen that I accidentally deleted all of the photos I took for this post two weeks ago. Well time was on my side this past weekend, so thankfully I was able to give the pictures another shot. I do realize that I am sharing June favorites on the 10th of July. My hope is to make this into a monthly series that I will share at the beginning of each month! After taking a poll on Instagram, it seems like this is something everyone was interested in, and I’d love your feedback now that it’s finally live! So without further ado, here are my June beauty hits and misses.

June Beauty Hits:

Purlisse Sheet Masks are my absolute favorite, so they needed to be first on this list! This product is not new to me, but is so good I had to share. I have tried a few different masks, and the green tea & vitamin C ones are the best. I always wash off my makeup and cleanse my skin before applying. After leaving the mask on for about 15 minutes, I remove it and make sure to pat the remaining serum into my skin. I actually don’t apply anything else but a nighttime moisturizer after this mask, and I really think the serum does a great job of brightening and softening my skin.

The Derma-E Vitamin C Micellar Cleansing Water is another great new skincare product that I have been incorporating into my nightly routine. I don’t know why it took me so long to start using micellar water, but now that I have been using it I can’t turn back. I typically like to alternate between micellar water, Pacifica cleansing cloths, and a cleansing oil each night when taking off my makeup. Now that I have found this version from Derma-E, I may not be alternating as much. This product is so refreshing!The Glo Skin Beauty Contour/Highlight brush and the contour kit were a complete hit for me! I was sent this product a few months back, and finally gave it try. The shimmer highlight has been my go-to highlighter lately. I am really looking forward to being able to bring this palette on some upcoming trips I have planned. The contour shades blend really well, and all of the shades apply very naturally. I have been using the fair to light kit, but it also comes in medium to dark.

The last hit of the month is the Urban Decay Chill setting spray. I’ll be honest, this one wasn’t an immediate hit. It is supposed to be cooling, however I don’t really notice any type of cooling sensation when I apply. I am, however, extremely impressed with it’s power to help makeup stay put! This product is truly worth every penny, especially in the hot summer months when makeup has a tendency to melt off easily.

June Beauty Misses:

I am so sad that the Kristin Ess Rose Gold Tint Spray made the miss list. The first time I tried it was for Harper’s mermaid birthday party, where I actually used it on both her hair and mine. I had stalked Kristin’s Instagram, and was so in love with all of the gorgeous photos of girls rocking their pink hair. Mine didn’t even look like I had used the product at all. I have even tried spraying it on almost dry hair, and still no luck! According to the directions, the drier the hair, the more vibrant the color is supposed to be. This didn’t seem to make a difference for me. I will probably give it a few more tries, but as of now it’s a major miss.

COVERGIRL truBLEND Base Business Face Primer is my second miss of the month. Another product I really wanted to love, especially since it’s supposed to minimize the appearance of pores. Unfortunately I didn’t love this primer. I don’t feel like it helps my makeup stay put, and I did notice a few breakouts in the days following its use.

Shop my June Beauty Hits and Misses:

July 6, 2018

Wedding Guest Outfit: The Weekly Style Edit

The navy lace dress I am wearing in today’s wedding guest outfit post might look familiar to you. I actually wore it for a post from last year that I did with David’s Bridal. In coming up with the trend for today’s link up, Megan and I thought that a wedding guest look would be perfect since we are right in the middle of wedding season. I actually have a wedding to attend in about a month, and I’m pretty sure this is exactly what I’ll be wearing to it. You guys know I’m all about re-mixing pieces in my closet, and what better dress to re-style than this navy lace one!

For a summer or fall wedding, a lace dress is always a classic option. This is especially the case when paired with a pair of nude heels. I typically stray away from heels with an ankle strap because it’s not really an area I like to draw attention to, but this pair is surprisingly perfect. They are under $30 and come in 3 other colors. I have linked them at the end of the post, along with 3 other navy lace dress options since the one I am wearing today is an older piece.

Today is link up day, so be sure to join Megan from The Fashionista Momma and I below!