Mackenzie Billington

Lush Oxford Street.. Round Two

July 7, 2015 by Mackenzie

Oops.. I did it again. Couldn’t resist Lush Oxford Street.

‘No, you can’t eat it’

Y’all. Living a mile from Lush is seriously dangerous. It’s so hard to resist my favorite store every time I walk down Oxford Street. I picked up a few more things this week, and I have been loving them:

1.) ‘Shark Infested Custard’ bath melt

Is this bath melt not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? An awesome Lush employee recommended that I give this fun little bath product a try, and at £2, I just couldn’t say no. Plus- it totally puts me in the mood for Shark Week! This bath melt smells incredible. It has a strong, and beautiful scent of vanilla/custard. It also has a slight scent of lemon. I haven’t used it in the bath yet, but I can already tell it is going to be extremely moisturizing. It melts just at the warmth of your fingertips, and I can’t wait to try it!! Sadly, this is an Oxford Street exclusive product, so it can only be purchased at that location!

2.) ‘Yuzu and Cocoa’ shower cream

Another fabulous Oxford Street exclusive product that smells just like the Yuzu and Cocoa bubbleroon. It has the most gorgeous orange and chocolate scent. This shower cream also has such a moisturizing and creamy consistency. I got the smallest size just to try it out, but I know I will totally be purchasing the full size (along with Lord of Misrule) to take back to the states.

3.) ‘Daddy-O’ shampoo

I forgot my Daddy-O shampoo back in TX, and I have been dying without it. This shampoo is rockin’. You can read my review on it here!

4.) ‘Sympathy for the Skin’ body cream

I have actually never tried a Lush body cream/lotion before. When I was chatting with one of the Lush employees about his favorite Lush products, he recommended this one to me. Not only does it smell soothing and amazing, it makes my skin feel so soft. This body cream has great ingredients like almond oil, fresh bananas, lemon oil, vanilla, and cocoa butter. I purchased the smallest bottle, but a little bit definitely goes a long way with this product. I bet it will last me the entire summer! One of my favorite things about this product is that the scent definitely lingers on the skin all day. I’ve tried so many body creams that smell nice for a few minutes, and then disappear. But Sympathy for the Skin definitely lasts all day! I would highly recommend it (and they sell it in the US)!

Thank you all for checking out my blog! I am sure I will be back at the Lush Oxford Street very soon..

Check Out my LSE Dorm

July 7, 2015 by Mackenzie

My lovely view haha

Hello hello! I have finally moved into my dorm, and I absolutely love it. All of the rooms for my dorm are singles, so I do not have a roommate. However, we do have a community bathroom/kitchen. I have finally moved everything in (though I could use some more decorations/color in my room). Our room came with pillows, linens, and towels, which was very nice. I actually just ordered new bedding and pillows for my room in the sorority house this fall, and I can’t wait to post pictures as soon as I get those in the mail. For this fall, I’ve decided to do a solid colored bedspread with fun & bright pillows!

As a lot of y’all know, I actually spent yesterday in the emergency room. Two nights ago, I woke up around 3:00 am with the worst pains in my right side. They were so excruciating that I could not stop screaming. I went down to the front desk of the dorm, and I collapsed on the floor. The staff at the front desk called the ambulance, which came almost three hours later. When I arrived at the hospital, they had to hook me up to morphine, which still didn’t completely fix the pain. After several blood tests, they found out I had a very severe stomach infection/bug that I most likely picked up in Tanzania. I had to miss my first day of classes yesterday, which honestly was a bummer. I hate getting behind in school and missing assignments. I was able to make it to class this morning, but I still don’t entirely feel like myself yet. I hope I start feeling better so I can start enjoying my time here at LSE. Sorry if this post was a little bit of a downer, but I just wanted to let you all know what’s been going on in my life! I am just very fortunate that I am recovering and that I don’t have to surgery or anything crazy like that. Things could have definitely been worse, and I know I will appreciate my good health in the future. But thank you all so, so much for your love and support on tumblr. Y’all’s encouraging messages made my day!

I went to Lush Oxford Street again a few days ago, so I will be posting about my mini haul later today (or possibly tomorrow).

Thank you for checking out my blog! Hope you all are having an awesome, awesome week!

Fourth of July

July 4, 2015 by Mackenzie

Dress • Sandals • Earrings

Happy 4th of July, friends! This dress has actually been my favorite piece for summer. Off shoulder tops and dresses have definitely been my ‘go-to’ this season. I paired this patriotic dress with some white stone earrings and white sandals for a day spent exploring the city. However, it would look awesome with wedges and a clutch for night!

These photos were taken at Neal’s Yard in London. My friend recommended that I check out this colorful cluster of buildings and shops. This little spot was difficult to find at first, but well worth the trip. I loved the bright walls and all of the fun restaurants. My mom and I had a fabulous time visiting this unique part of town. I am having such an incredibly time in London so far, and I’m almost positive that I’m not ever going to leave. Tomorrow I move into my dorm, and it will be nice to not live out of a suitcase anymore. I couldn’t be having a better time in this perfect city! Words can’t describe how much I love it here.

I hope you all are having a fabulous 4th of July and enjoying the holiday!

Lush Oxford Street

July 3, 2015 by Mackenzie

I was just a little excited about visiting Lush Oxford Street

The Comforter bath bomb in a shower cream version

Lush shampoo bars are amazing

Are these Flamingo bubble bars not totally adorable?

Lush staff helping me select a face cleanser

My Oxford Street goodies

Lord of Misrule, HUGE bottle of H’suan Wen Hua, and Coal Face

Green magic in a bottle

Lush is my guilty pleasure. No shame. If you walk into the Lush store with me, it usually takes over an hour to drag me out. As soon as my mom and I arrived in London, I begged her to let me swing by the Lush Oxford Street just for five minutes. I was completely overwhelmed by the store and beyond excited. I will definitely be heading back next week to spend a full hour (or five) really checking out the three story oasis. My wish list from the Oxford Street location includes:

Lava Lamp bath bomb
Experimenter bath bomb
Supertramp bubble bar
Shark infested custard bath oil
Zen soap
Yuzu and cocoa shower cream
Comforter shower cream
Cup o’ coffee face mask
Key Lime lip balm
Damaged hot oil treatment
Waves solid shampoo

For this first visit to Lush Oxford Street, I picked up 3 products:

1.) ‘Lord of Misrule’ shower cream

I immediately went straight to the shower gels/creams and checked them all out. I was so excited when I heard they made ‘Lord of Misrule’ into a shower cream. I just had to try it out. It is very, very green in color, which is a little scary at first when you use it in the shower. Lord of Misrule has the most amazing fragrance. It is actually very hard to describe the scent, but you can definitely pick up the vanilla and pepper notes. Essentially, it’s magic in a bottle. I know I will totally be purchasing the largest size possible before I head back to the states at the end of the summer.

2.) ‘H’suan Wen Hua’ hair treatment

This wonderful product is probably my favorite hair treatment in the entire world, and that is no exaggeration. I can’t tell you how many times my sister and I have both repurchased this product (read my review for it here). The Lush Oxford Street location actually carries this amazing hair treatment in a huge size. If you purchase H’suan Wen Hua in the US, you can only get it in the 7.9 oz. size. However, in the UK, you can purchase it in a 15 oz. size! I hope they bring the larger version of H’suan Wen Hua to the US soon because it is heavenly!

3.) ‘Coal Face’ face cleanser

I love the Lush face cleansers, especially paired with my clarisonic skin cleaning brush. It’s a fantastic combo. I’ve been using Fresh Farmacy cleanser for the past few months, and I really do love it. However, my acne has been flaring up for the past 2-3 weeks, so I decided to change up my skin care routine. The friendly staff at Lush Oxford Street gave me a sample of Coal Face to take home and try. They told me it would be better for my oily, acne prone skin, so I decided to give it a try. I have really been enjoying Coal Face these past few days, and when my sample runs out, I will definitely be purchasing it! I surprisingly enjoy the fragrance of it, and it makes the skin feel very clean and clear (without over- drying).

I can not wait to check out Lush Oxford Street again this week. It’s incredible in there, and I am almost positive I will be broke by the end of the summer. If you are from the UK, let me know if you have any Lush Oxford Street recommendations! I will be sharing more pictures from my first week in London later this week! Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

(P.S. Here are the details for my outfit because I got asked about them several times on my tumblr/personal instagram)

Romper (purchased here last summer) • Sandals • Earrings (back in stock!) • Sunglasses

Wild about Africa

July 2, 2015 by Mackenzie

Hello friends! Here are my favorite pictures we took in Tanzania! I will be posting about my first few days in London later this week!

Tarangire National Park

July 1, 2015 by Mackenzie

An elephant with half a tusk

Baby elephant follows closely behind his mother

A herd of elephants take a quick detour to the watering hole

A baby elephant crosses the road

A dirt covered elephant snacks on some grass

A male ostrich

The stunning Tarangire Treetop lodge

A giant elephant bone

Our treetop getaway

When I was a child, I always wanted a treehouse. So as my mom and I pulled up to the Tarangire Treetop lodge, my twelve-year-old self immediately fell in love. Each guest stays in a tree house, which is incredibly cool. With a plethora of cacti, African decorations, and large animal bones scattered around the grounds, this place was not only beautiful, but very unique. My favorite aspect of the lodge was the fact that it was all built around a very large 700 year old baobab tree. We were immediately greeted with delicious drinks and tons of hospitality (and great wifi!). The Tarangire Treetop lodge was not fenced in, so many waterbucks came up very close to us and drank out of the watering hole located just a few feet away from the swimming pool. We enjoyed watching them as we ate dinner. The next morning we woke up very early to explore the Tarangire National Park, where we found tons and tons of elephants. The best part was that there were so many baby elephants! The fascinating thing about the elephants at the Tarangire National Park was that they had a very red tint to them. Our tour guide, Simon, told us that this was because the elephants roll in the dirt to cool themselves off and keep the bugs away. We loved getting to see all of the hundreds of elephant at the park. It was truly unforgettable! Sadly, we didn’t spot a cheetah during our trip (no pun intended), but we got to see so many incredibly animals! I am very sad that we had to leave Tanzania, but I couldn’t be more excited to start school at the LSE this week. Hope you all are having a fabulous week!

Ngorongoro Crater

June 30, 2015 by Mackenzie

Standing with my sister in front of our Defender

‘Throwing what I know’ from Africa

The gorgeous Plantation Lodge

A kate buffalo peering at us through the bushes

A jackal standing in an open field at the center of the crater

Thousands and thousands of flamingos

After a week of sleeping in tents, we headed towards the Ngorongoro Crater to our first lodge. As we pulled up to the grounds of the Plantation Lodge, I was completely overwhelmed at how beautiful it was. Everything from the unique decor to the lush gardens was just flawless. It was also nice to have running water again. The next morning, we spent about an hour and drove to the inside of the crater. It was much warmer at the bottom than it was at the Plantation Lodge, which was located at the top of the crater. In the crater we saw several different animals including flamingos, kate buffalo, lions, and even the black rhino (from a far distance). Before heading back to the lodge, we ate a traditional African lunch in the crater and snapped a few photos on top of our trusty Defender. The following morning, we packed up our things to split our separate ways. My dad and sister, Allie, got into another Thomson Safari car to head off to their climb. They will both be spending the next nine days hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro. My mom and I headed off to our fifth place on the trip- the Tarangire National Park!

Thank you so much for checking out my blog! I will be posting about our lovely experience at the Tarangire Treetop Lodge soon (and tons of pictures of the cute baby elephants we saw!). I am very, very sad that we leave Africa today, but I couldn’t be more excited to head to London!

Welcome to Tanzania

June 28, 2015 by Mackenzie

Our ‘Christmas Card Picture’ ft. a Land Rover Defender

Thomson Safaris campsite

Impala horns

Relaxing at the camp before a traditional African dinner

Wearing our matching VV shirts before an afternoon Safari

Shirt: Vineyard Vines (c/o) • Shorts: Patagonia • Sandals: Hari Mari (c/o)

Welcome to Tanzania.

I have spent about eleven days in Tanzania, and it’s been a wild, but amazing ride so far. When you travel to a new country, sometimes you have absolutely no idea what to expect. I’ve been to the continent of Africa before to visit Cairo, but Egypt and Tanzania are not even comparable. Our journey to this incredibly unique place began with a 24 hour day of travel. Running to your terminal to barely catch your next flight and having your luggage lost are just some of the struggles travelers face. When we finally arrived to Arusha, a city not far from our campsite, my mom and I realized our luggage was not at the baggage claim. Our four bags were ‘missing in action’. Never in my many years of travel have I ever experienced the challenge of losing all of my suitcases. It is an unpleasant experience I hope to never go through again. Luckily, my bags were eventually found later during the week. My mom’s suitcases are still not here yet, but that hasn’t prevented us from having an amazing trip.

We spent a night near the airport and then headed off to catch a small prop plane that would take us to the campsite. I am not much of an ‘outdoor girl’ myself, but this camp was quite gorgeous. On the drive from the landing strip to the camp, we saw so many animals. It is such an incredible experience to just see wild zebras, giraffes, elephants, impalas, and wildebeests casually strolling by your car. We decided to use the Thomson Safaris for our trip, and everything they have done so far has been perfect. Thomson has campsites all over the country of Tanzania, and they are each so, so different. We decided to stay at camps for the first two places, and then stay in lodges for the next two. Though I probably prefer the lodges more, it’s definitely been nice to experience the campsite life. Our daily schedule in Tanzania has been pretty routine. We wake up early and pile into the Land Rover Defender that has a safari pop up roof for excellent animal viewing and picture taking moments in search of animals in their natural settings. During the day, we eat a boxed lunch before continuing back to our safari endeavors. Around three. we head back to the campsite to nap. Dinner is usually around seven and typically consists of fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat.

In Tanzania, they speak the language of Swahili. Here are two phrases we have learned:

Hujambo = hello

Asante = thank you

Later this week I will be posting pictures of the Masai people, our hot air balloon adventure, the lodges, and all of our animal pictures! Thank you so much for checking out my blog- hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!

xoxo,

Mackenzie Kendall

Going off the Grid

June 18, 2015 by Mackenzie

Hello friends! Today is the day! I am leaving this morning to fly to Tanzania with my family! We will spend the next two weeks traveling all around the country on a safari. My mom and I are going to also spend a few days at an elephant park while my dad and sister climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I decided to wear my elephant dress this week out of excitement for my safari getaway! I picked up this dress a few weeks ago from ShopRiffRaff, but sadly it is not available anymore. I linked some similar animal-themed dresses below!

So I will be ‘off the grid’ for the next two weeks, but I will have internet/service again when I move to London for the rest of summer during the month of July! I will be back really soon!! Thank you so much for y’all’s constant love & support!

Have a wild & awesome week! BRB!

Little White Dress

June 17, 2015 by Mackenzie

Dress • Necklace • Sandals

Everybody loves a little black dress. But for summer, the little white dress is a must-have. I find myself wearing them constantly during the summer time because they are incredibly versatile and look great with a tan. Out of all of the white dresses I own, this one is definitely my favorite. I love the lace detailing and the open back. I also own it in black as well! I love to pair “the little white dress” with turquoise and gold jewelry. It’s definitely my favorite color combination for the season.

Sadly, the weather in Texas has been rainy again. We had a nice week or so of sunshine, but lately it’s been back to tropical storms. I spent the day in Dallas and had a great time visiting the Dallas Museum of Art and eating Sprinkles cupcakes! Between packing for 8+ weeks abroad, having friends in town, and accidentally having my hair dyed gray- it’s been a chaotic week! I couldn’t be more excited to head to Africa tomorrow for a perfect safari getaway.

Hope you all are having a great week!