Mackenzie Billington

On Saturdays, We Sail

June 26, 2016 by Mackenzie

Mackenzie vs. the wind

My long-time BFF, Taylor

Angel Island

My family friend, Sheryl, ‘photo-bombing’ my picture

Golden Gate Bridge

*Trying not to crash the boat*

“On Saturdays, we sail”. Okay. Maybe not eveerryy Saturday (though a girl can dream), but on this particular Saturday morning, a few friends and I sailed off from Berkeley to the beautiful, dreamy island of Angel. Angel Island is a charming, seaside destination with the most breathtaking views. When I think of the perfect morning, I would definitely picture this one. Wind in my hair, bay water breezes, and good friends. I don’t think it gets better than this. Today, I realized how incredibly grateful I am. How grateful I am to have amazing friends out here in California that are so encouraging and inspiring. How grateful I am to have the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place that allows me to embrace God’s beautiful creation. Life is incredible and wonderful, and so often, we take it for granted.

“Can you believe we have about a month left here”, my bestie since 6th grade asked me today as we our sail boat pulled up to the shores of Angel Island. “I am in denial”. I am not ready to leave Northern California in August. Not even a little bit, and I tear up thinking about the fact that this perfect summer will have to come to in an end. For now though, I am taking full advantage of every day and every second. My goal this summer has been to ‘break out of my comfort zone‘. I am a creature of habit, and I love the familiar and the comfortable and the safe. It can be scary to do things that are ‘out of your comfort zone’, but those bold and daring adventures are what provide us with the fullest experiences and the most unforgettable memories.

*End emotional diary entry*. Long story short, friends, California rocks.

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Summertime Stripes

June 23, 2016 by Mackenzie

stripe crop top | stripe midi skirt [sold out, linked similar] | clutch | l ace up heels | sunnies [linked similar]

Happy Wednesday! It’s officially summer, so it’s time to break out your favorite striped ensemble. With 4th of July just around the corner, I thought I would share one of my favorite ‘red, white, & blue’ looks. I can’t get enough of co-ord sets this season, and this nautical duo is no exception. I personally love this one specifically because it’s so fun to mix-and-match. I wear the striped midi skirt to work with polished blouses, and I love throwing on the crop top with solid, white shorts. I also love either piece with a pop of color!

Stay tuned because I have another fun & festive 4th of July post coming next week..

xoxo,

Mackenzie

photography: dallastyleblog

Weekend Recap

June 20, 2016 by Mackenzie

golden gate bridge

‘local’ tee (size small) // Hawaiian shorts (linked similar)

‘tourist’ tee // yellow sunnies (only $20)

Presidio Picnic foodtrucks

yellow sunnies // sunflower romper

white off shoulder top

sunflower romper

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream [non-dairy PB & cookies]

“See San Fransisco” book

LYFE kitchen

layered crop top

palm print dress // sunnies (only $20)

Teaquation (in Redwood City)

graphic tank

Hi friends & happy Monday! My sister, Allie, flew into San Fransisco on Saturday. We’ve had such a fun weekend stumbling upon a food truck festival, snapping fun pictures, and exploring the city. I wanted to share some of our photos from the weekend!

I hope you are having an amazing Monday!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Two Fave Swimsuits [under $100]

June 16, 2016 by Mackenzie

printed bikini top // printed bikini bottoms [reversible]

“sun seeker” one piece (c/o)

Hi! This past weekend, I rode on a motorcycle (not even kidding) to Half Moon Bay beach. I remember spending weekends at Half Moon Bay as a child, and it was really nostalgic to visit again. The weather on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and the view of the ocean was just incredible. Only negative? I didn’t have a swimsuit. I gave my swimsuits to my sister for her to borrow on her recent trip, but I figured I would be totally fine without them for a few weeks. A last minute motorcycle ride to the beach involved me making the best of my no swimsuit situation. I definitely rocked yoga pants and a sports bra on the beach; it’s fine. About two weeks ago, I ordered two new swimsuits. They just arrived yesterday, and I absolutely love them!

The printed bikini is from my very favorite bathing suit brand, Maaji. Their swimsuits tend to be pretty expensive, but I luckily snagged this fun bikini for under $100 total! The top was under $35 & the cheeky bottoms were under $30. Score. I fell in love with the top when I spotted it online. The ruffles add such a playful & girly touch, and I figured it would be very flattering on my pear-shaped body. However, the top is a little more revealing than I expected. There were several styles of the bottoms available, but I decided to be a little #scandy & try out the cheeky bottoms. If cheeky bikini bottoms are a little out of your comfort zone, Maaji has some other styles available with more coverage. In general, I would recommend sizing up for Maaji as their swimsuits tend to run a tad bit small. My favorite part about Maaji bikinis (besides the fact that their prints are SO fun!) is that they are revisable. So you basically get two swimsuits for the price of one. When I ordered this specific bikini, I had no idea what the reversible pattern would be. But I am dying over the black & white reversible print on the other side. I may or may not have laughed a little when I saw the crazy white tiger print. YOLO, friends.

One piece swimsuits have been trending like crazy this season. So I decided to get on board & try the trend out for myself. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on this suit last night. I am taking some pictures in it this weekend, but I couldn’t wait any longer to show it to y’all! I love this specific one because it’s ultra casual. It would be perfect paired with denim shorts for an easy, summer look. For reference, I did order this one piece swimsuit in a size small. I purchased the Maaji bikini in a size medium for both top & bottom (I do wish I would have purchased a large for the Maaji top).

Sorry this post was a little random, but I just had to share my two recent favorite swimsuit finds with y’all! I hope you’re having a great week so far!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

What I’ve Been Eyeing Lately

June 14, 2016 by Mackenzie

Hello, hello & happy Tuesday. I definitely just had to take a quick double look at my calendar because it seemed like a Monday for a hot second. This week is an exciting week because my sister is coming to visit me in California at the end of the week. I am so glad that I finally get to see her, and I can’t to hear all about her adventure in Thailand and Cambodia! I haven’t seen her in almost four weeks, so it will be really nice to finally catch up & show her around my new home.

When I am not at work or out with friends, I love to online shop. You probably already know that, and if you don’t: Hi, I am Mackenzie, and I have a serious online shopping problem. Browsing the internet is fun, and I really enjoy finding new pieces to add to my ‘wish list’. I also get asked on tumblr pretty frequently about pieces I am eyeing. Here are some great summer things I have spotted over the past week or so, and I wanted to share them with y’all!

off shoulder bikini // tassel earrings (under $35) // tropical charms // grapefruit tote // lace up sandals // yellow sundress (under $100) // white lace romper // glam choker

Thank you so much for checking out my blog!

xoxo,

Mackenzie Kendall

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

June 11, 2016 by Mackenzie

Hello everybody & happy, happy Friday! Can you believe the weekend is finally here?

Today I wanted to share my summer favorites from the past almost-full month of living in California. I’ve had so many favorite things lately that I just had to rave show y’all. As no surprise, there are tons of shoes. Shocker, I know. Without further ado, friends, here are some things I have been loving lately:

lava lava graphic tank // highlighter in the shade “fireball”

freckles // fringe booties

teaquation tea // free people sunnies

tassel sandal heels // succulent gardens

polaroid printer // naked skin “one & done”

white wine // lace up sandals

NYX micro brow pencil // flatform sandals

outdoor concerts // little, lacy bralettes

blue tassel earrings // bull sweater

Thanks for checking out my blog! Let me know what you have been loving this month.

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Music Festival

June 5, 2016 by Mackenzie

shorts (linked similar) // crop top // booties // bralette // sunnies // arrowhead necklace (linked similar)

Yesterday, I went to my very first music festival. I also tried to ride a Google bike, and as noted above, failed miserably. I have been living in the Bay Area for two whole weeks now, and to be completely honest, I couldn’t be more in love. My two weeks here so far have been incredible. The friendships and memories I have made already in just this short period of time are far greater than I could have ever imagined.

A semi-last minute, semi-spur of the moment decision to go to the BFD music festival in Silicon Valley created the most perfect Saturday filled with good friends, good music, and good beer. I got to see a bunch of my favorite bands, along with discovering a few new ones. I literally picked out my outfit seven minutes before heading out the door to pick up my friends for the festival. I threw on my favorite white shorts, a solid colored crop top, huge sunglasses, and my go-to fringe booties. I was really glad I opted for shorts and a tank because it was way hotter than we expected & my cold, post-festival shower was definitely much needed after the long, but fun, day. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Saturday! I am beyond excited for the future weekends ahead in the Valley.

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Three Favorite Outfits

May 30, 2016 by Mackenzie

[ezcol_1half] casual ootd // www.mackenziekendall.com [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] casual details // www.mackenziekendall.com
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playful details // www.mackenziekendall.com

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] cactus romper // www.mackenziekendall.com [/ezcol_1half_end][ezcol_1half] tropical ootd // www.mackenziekendall.com [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end] tropical details // www.mackenziekendall.com [/ezcol_1half_end]

[SOMETHING CASUAL]- tank (from Forever21; sold out, linked similar) // denim shorts //choker (similar)

[SOMETHING PLAYFUL] – romper // tassel earrings // clutch

[SOMETHING TROPICAL] – crop top // tropical skirt // necklace (similar)

Hi friends & happy Memorial Day weekend! I just wanted to share a few of my favorite outfits lately that I have been wearing the heck out of. Hope you’re having a wonderful & relaxing weekend!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Succulent Heaven

May 28, 2016 by Mackenzie

After getting off work today, I walked to my car and a crazy, spontaneous idea hit me. “I am going to go find a succulent farm”. I searched on google for the closest succulent farm and found one about fifteen minutes from my office. Score. So I headed off on a journey towards Half Moon Bay in hopes of finding some new babies to add to my cactus collection.

As I pulled up to the Highway 92 Succulents farm, I knew off the bat that I had found heaven. Immediately as I walked into the cactus-filled nursery, I was greeted by the friendly owner, George. I am going to be 100% honest when I say this, I have never experienced more incredible customer service in my entire life. George helped me pick out some incredible cacti, and he even helped me plant and arrange them in a terra-cotta bowl. We chatted for about thirty minutes about everything and anything Cali-related. I left so incredibly happy, my new cactus garden riding shot gun in the front seat. To finish off the day, I, of course, headed to Chipotle.

Sorry this post is a little random, just wanted to share my fun adventure and the gorgeous cactus nursery I discovered today! In the morning, I will be up bright & early for a long hike in San Francisco with a friend. Couldn’t be more excited for this three day weekend ahead.

Happy Friday evening!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Cali Apartment Tour

May 26, 2016 by Mackenzie

“Hey MTV & welcome to my crib”. Lol. Jk. I kid, I kid.

Hello, friends & happy Thursday [unless you are on the west coast, like me, then happy Wednesday evening]! I’ve been settling into my new -and very first – apartment these past few days, and I am so happy that things are finally coming together. The apartment hunt was not easy, by any means, whatsoever. After weeks and weeks of searching the depths of the internet, I finally found the perfect home, nested in Redwood City. Because living in California is crazy expensive, I kept the decor very affordable. I found the majority of the pieces at Target, and I found several little gems at thrift stores around the city. Living by myself in an apartment for the first time has been such an exciting adventure so far, and I am looking forward to these next three months in Cali! I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to live & work in one of my favorite places in the entire world.

I wanted to share with y’all my new home for the summer! Without further ado or continued rambling, here is my new apartment: