Life – Page 2 – Mackenzie Billington

Mini Apartment Decor Haul

May 21, 2017 by Mackenzie

Hello & happy Saturday!!

It’s officially my last weekend in Texas. I have been beyond busy the past few days, scrambling around for the big move. For my first three years of college, I lived on campus- no personal furniture required. This past summer and school year, I rented my furniture for both apartments. However, now that I am officially moving to my first semi-permanent apartment, I will be purchasing my own furniture. I never imagined it would be this stressful (or expensive/time-consuming). I can’t deny that it’s definitely been fun though- I love decor shopping! The packing process has been wild, but I definitely feel like things are starting to come together. I’ve officially ordered all my actual furniture (i.e. bed, couch, coffee table, etc.), and it will be in California by the time I get there next week! Today I wanted to share a few little things I’ve picked up recently for my apartment along with other pieces I have collected over the past year or so. Of course there are so many more things I have to share with you guys over the next few weeks, but I wanted to show some of my personal faves that will be making their way into my new place:

Graduation

May 15, 2017 by Mackenzie

Hello friends & happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! This past Saturday, I graduated college from the University of Mississippi. College flew by crazy, crazy fast, and I can not believe I am officially an alumni! It still blows my mind.

I am so grateful for all of the people in my life that encouraged me and supported me over the past four years. I couldn’t have made it to the finish line without their tenacious and steadfast love. I am also grateful that I had the opportunity to go to college, and it is not something that I take for granted. Though it is never easy closing a chapter of a book, I could not be more excited for the adventures ahead. I will be starting my journey to California next week, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come!

Mother’s Day 2017 Gift Guide

May 7, 2017 by Mackenzie

Hello & happy Sunday! Mother’s Day is next Sunday!! Can you believe it’s already just around the corner? I am so incredibly thankful for my mom and everything that she does for me. I have absolutely no idea what I would do without her and her constant encouragement, energy, support, and selflessness. I love that there’s a day to celebrate our lovely moms & show them how much we appreciate them! Whether you are enjoying the day with brunch or just spending quality time together, Mother’s Day is all about her. Today I wanted to share a few Mother’s Day gift ideas with you! I selected gifts that I would personally get my own mom. I hope that this ‘gift guide’ can give you a few ideas on what to get your mama on her special day:

one. tassel earrings // two. coco rose body polish // three. kate spade phone case // four. tory burch sandals (my mom’s favorite summer shoes) // five. recipe book // six. moscow mule mug // seven. candle // eight. clutch // nine. drybar hairdryer // ten. fresh sugar lip balm // eleven. zebra trinket dish // twelve. bobbi brown blush

Additionally, here are a few other ideas:

• picture frame/photo calender

• breakfast in bed

• spa appointment

• mani/pedi appointment

• a thoughtful card/letter

• new eyeshadow palette

• lululemon gift card

I hope my gift guide could give you a few ideas! Let me know what you are getting your mama this year for Mother’s Day!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

shop the post:

April Favorites

May 1, 2017 by Mackenzie

Happy end of April, friends! Is it just me, but did April go by crazy fast? This past April was definitely the busiest month for me in my entirety of college! It’s still so surreal that this has been my last full month of college. I am so incredibly excited for May and all of the exciting things coming up these next few weeks. Let the countdown to Cali begin! Today I am sharing my faves from April along with my highs & lows (including new apartment & new car details!). Without further ado, let’s chat about April!

You can click each photo to shop each fave:

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T A R T E ” B E A C H B A B E” L I P S T I C K

When it comes to lip products, I am not a huge, huge lipstick kinda girl. I usually gravitate towards liquid products, lip stains, and tinted lip balms. However, when I saw this gorgeous lipstick on the Sephora site, I decided to step out of my comfort zone. I got the shade “beach babe”, and it’s the perfect nude for me. I love the formula- it is moisturizing, but not too shiny. It has a very natural finish to it that looks incredibly natural on the lips.
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Three Unconventional Photography Tips/Habits

April 20, 2017 by Mackenzie

Unconventional (adj): not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.

I have watched my fair share of photography YouTube videos along with reading probably a hundred of posts and forums about photography advice. Things start to get repetitive and predictable, and you hear the same few ‘rules’ over and over. Though everybody has their own unique photography style, it seems like most photographers tend to have the same processes and the same conventional standards (i.e. “You can’t get great photos without shooting on RAW“, “You need to get on your computer and use lightroom“, “You need these 5 lenses to be a paid photographer“). The more I started to read and watch, the more I realized a few things I practice and believe aren’t exactly conventional when it comes to being a photographer. I am so incredibly fascinated about learning what other people do and what processes work for them. While I think it’s important to constantly seek growth and learn new things, I think it is also important to stay true to yourself and to not be fearful of breaking a few rules. Try different things, listen to different opinions, and find what works best for you!

I wanted to share three of my unconventional photography habits and my three things I believe you don’t need to produce beautiful photographs to be proud of. I hope you can find my tips insightful or interesting at the very least:

March Favorites

March 31, 2017 by Mackenzie

[ezcol_1fifth][/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_1fifth][/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_1fifth][/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_1fifth][/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_1fifth_end][/ezcol_1fifth_end]HAPPY LAST DAY OF MARCH, friends!! Peace out, March & heellloooo April. March was definitely a great month for me, filled with plenty of amazing moments and memories. I love March because it’s really such a transition month between winter and spring. The blooming flowers bring promise of the beautiful flora and sunshine to come. I love winter during the holidays, but after NYE, I get ~~a little~~ very sick of the cold weather. April is my birthday month, which makes spring just a little bit extra exciting for me. I can’t believe that I will be 22 this month (*sings Taylor Swift’s “22”*). I also can’t wrap my head around the fact that this will be my last full month of college. I know I have mentioned graduation in my last few blog posts, but it still seems so surreal to me. How did college go by so quickly?

Five Tips for Indoor Photoshoots

March 1, 2017 by Mackenzie

My Top Twenty Favorite Free Fonts [PART TWO]

January 27, 2017 by Mackenzie

Hello & happy Friday! I wanted to start by thanking you all on the wonderful feedback I received on my ‘Top Twenty Favorite Free Fonts‘ part one post. I made it on a whim this summer, and it was so much fun to create. I was so surprised & overjoyed to find out that y’all loved it. After that post received almost 100,000 in a matter of just five months, I decided I would make this a series as I absolutely love finding new favorite fonts (guilty pleasure). I hope this post can help you discover some new favorite fonts too!

If you would like to see more of these Free Font/graphic design related posts in the future, please let me know. Also, I have included detailed instructions on how to download/use each font below!

Thanksgiving

November 26, 2016 by Mackenzie

“G I V E T H A N K S T O T H E LORD, F O R H E I S G O O D”

Psalm 107:1

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday now that I think about it. It’s such an incredible day to spend time with your loved ones and to be reminded of how blessed we truly are (even in times where we seem to be focused on the bad instead of the good). I know that I take a lot of things for granted at times, and one of my upcoming New Year’s resolutions is to spend every single day like it’s Thanksgiving. Being thankful is something that can be incredibly difficult during hard moments of our lives, but counting our blessings can remind us how fortunate we really are. Lately I’ve been taking the time to count my blessings, even the tiniest ones, every single night before I go to bed.

Something I am especially thankful for this year is baby Lili, my third cousin and the newest addition to our family. She is absolutely precious, and I am so glad that we got to celebrate her first Thanksgiving with her. Lili is beautiful , and she is definitely a big blessing.

I wanted to share some photos from my Thanksgiving. I took almost 700 photos yesterday, so I did my best to narrow it down to my twenty or so (which wasn’t easy, especially because baby Lili is crazy photogenic). Thanksgiving this year was one of the best I think our family has ever had. With the gorgeous weather, we celebrated outside and enjoyed the lovely day together.

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For those that have been asking about my camera/photography, I am a huge fan of Canon. But for me what makes the most prominent difference is shooting manual and understanding light! Getting the perfect shot is a lot about manipulating/learning about your camera settings, finding the perfect lighting, embracing creativity, and being in the right place at the right time. Find what inspires you. I’ve also been getting a lot of questions lately about my editing, and my best advice is to find a unique style that works for you & practice every single day. Practice makes perfect, and I learn new things daily. Over the past few months, I have fallen in love with shooting photos of the wonderful people and places around me. It’s such a blessing to be able to capture so many beautiful moments of my life and the lives of my friends and family.

I have been shooting family portraits pretty much every single day this week. Though I am booked for the rest of the Thanksgiving break, I do have some availabilities in December/January if you are looking for affordable portraits (whether it be family, senior, engagement, etc.)! Don’t hesitate to shoot me an email 🙂 I’d love to work with you!

lili

Thanksgiving 2016 was definitely one for the books. So thankful for my wonderful family and friends. Thankful for the ups of life and the downs that help us grow and prosper. Thankful for my health, for the places I have traveled to, for the friendships that have carried me through my worst moments, for the family that loves me unconditionally, and for Jesus’ love. Additionally, I am so thankful for each and every one of you and all the support I have received over the past few years. I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Optoma NuForce Bluetooth Wireless Earphones Review

November 11, 2016 by Mackenzie

Happy Friday! I recently found out that I’ll be heading off to Dubai & India in just a few weeks for winter break! While I absolutely love traveling and seeing the world, I can’t deny that ten hours plane flights aren’t very fun. During my time on long flights, I love to watch movies and listen to music since I struggle with sleeping on planes. When Optoma reached out to me about sending me a pair of their NuForce BE6i Wireless Bluetooth earphones, I figured now would be the perfect time to test them out and see if they would be something I could take on my upcoming trip. After trying them out for the past fews day, I can confidently say that these earphones will be the perfect must-haves for my upcoming trip.

When I am not traveling, I pretty much live in the Library on my college campus. It can be really helpful to play music while you’re cramming for exams and finals [I personally love to listen to study music/alpha waves]. In the past, I have always just used the earphones that came with my iPhone. While they were sufficient, I always got annoyed with the fact that they were always in a tangled mess at the bottom of my backpack.

I really like that these NuForce BE6i earphones are wireless. So cheers to no more tangled cords (score!). They are also Bluetooth, and I found it VERY easy to synch them up with my phone in less than a minute. The Bluetooth capabilities are fantastic, and I found that I could still hear my music if I walked downstairs in my house without my phone. I’ve been dying to get my hands on the iPhone 7 (mostly because of the amazing camera/lens, let’s be real). When I upgrade at some point over the next year, I know these earphones will be perfect because the iPhone 7 does not come with a headphone jack. So for those with the iPhone 7, these earphones are a great pick if you are looking for wireless ones.

Now let’s talk about the sound, the important thing here. I really love listening to music, whether I am on camous, relaxing in my room, or on the go. For me, sound is important when it comes to earphones. During my first use of these earphones, I noticed a huge, huge difference in the quality of the sound compared to my Apple earphones. Another thing I enjoyed about these earphones is the fact that they come in different size silicon ear tips. In the past, I have always been frustrated with earbuds being too big to fit in my ears. So for these, I use the smallest size silicon ear tips, and they fit perfectly! So that is a small perk that makes a huge difference for me.

These earphones also come with a nice carrying case, which is something I really like. It’s very sturdy, so it keeps the earphones protected when you’re on the go. I also like that there’s a little key ring on the side, so you can clip them to the inside of your purse or onto your backpack for accessibility.

Because these earphones are Bluetooth, they have to be charged, which is kind of a downside for me. However, the charge does last eight hours, which is impressive, in my opinion. I also like that I can easily charge them plugged into my laptop. The charging cord is a perfect length and is easy to store in the case

Overall summary of the Optoma NuForce Bluetooth Wireless earphones:

I honestly have been really enjoying these earphones (a lot more than I expected, to be completely honest). They are very comfortable, durable, sleek and convenient. I find them to be incredibly high quality, and I also really like the sound that they produce. These earphones really fit my needs and lifestyle, so for me, they are a great thing to have for both school and travel. I know that I will definitely be getting a ton of use out of these, and I can’t wait to use them on my upcoming trip!

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PROS:

Fantastic sound quality
Very comfortable to wear/very lightweight
Wireless
Fantastic bluetooth capabilities- great range (98+ feet), easy to connect
Battery life (8 hours)
Nice carrying case
Includes different sizes of silicon earphone tips
Sleek design/I really enjoy the rose gold detailing
Overall, very high quality
Earphones are magnetic, so they connect to each other for easy storage

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CONS:

They have to be charged
Not the best for working out. I tried to run in these & found them slipping out of my ear a little. However, NuForce does make Bluetooth Wireless earphones that are more targeted for working out (the NuForce BE Sport3). My pair is specifically for more ‘lifestyle’ use, so these may not be the best fit if you are searching for earphones to use when working out.
A little on the pricy side ($129). Though still more affordable than other wireless earphones on the market.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this review! If you are looking for a great new pair of wireless earphones, I would highly recommend the NuForce BE6i Wireless Bluetooth earphones. I have been loving them lately!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

* Thank you Optoma for sending me these amazing wireless earphones to test out! Though I was sent this product for free to test out, all opinions are 100% my own*