Image courtesy of Shelby Jo-Lynne Photography

When my baby was placed on my chest, I didn’t feel an overwhelming rush of love. I mean, every mom (or so it feels) talks about it, right? You’re supposed to feel some sort of head-to-toe tingling of love and joy and wonder. You’re supposed to feel instantly connected with your tiny little human, in some sort of inseparable emotional bond only felt…

It’s been a while since I’ve written an Outsiders in Okinawa post, but I figured cherry blossoms were the perfect way to get back in the groove! Sakura, or cherry blossoms, are kind of a big deal in Japan. Cherry blossoms are in bloom for a very short period of time, and as such are symbolic of the ephemeral nature of life—embodied in the Japanese phrase mono no aware, meaning the pathos of…

Happy Friday! I snagged some new products at the drugstore today and couldn’t wait to try the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Tint…so keep reading! 👇🏼 I purchased the shade 02 Natural Brown. It looks somewhat like a lipgloss tube with a brush applicator, and the product is a gel that looks frighteningly black. For someone like me with blonde hair, it felt a little ominous. But, ya know…do it for…

Hey y’all and welcome to 2018! I love reflecting on the trials, accomplishments, and lessons learned at the end of each year, and it was fun for me to look back on all of the adventures 2017 brought my way. From Taiwan to Korea to Thailand to the USA and back to Okinawa, I covered a lot of ground and made so many memories. I also like to evaluate the products I have in my collection and decide…

What’s In My Travel Bag?

Every time I travel I play the how-much-stuff-can-I-bring-in-my-carryon bag game. Since I’ve been traveling throughout Southeast Asia, I haven’t been checking any luggage. I try to only bring essentials and multi-purpose products to save space for goodies I pick up on my travels. This little bag doesn’t include my skincare or hair items, but I usually only bring a travel size face wash and…

Dry Shampoo Showdown Round 10

Okay, it’s not really round 10. But I’ve talked about dry shampoo on wisconsinwhimsy what feels like a million times, and I always seem to come back to one particular product—Batiste. If you’ve somehow been living under a rock, or maybe you’re just not lazy like me and wash your hair every day, Batiste is a drugstore dry shampoo that retails anywhere from $6–10. It has a cult following (but not a…

The Perfect Wedding Won’t Make Your Marriage Better

Imagery courtesy of Taylor & Jordan Snyder Wives, fiancées, and single romantics: have you ever flipped through a copy of The Knot in an airport bookstore thinking to yourself, “Wow, I wish I had $10 to buy this gigantic magazine so that I could pretend to be interested in it and avoid awkward small talk with the stranger in seat 5A for the next 5 hours?” No? Just me? Maybe you were thinking…

A Year’s Worth of Beauty Trash

An old blog post of mine that gets hits pretty consistently is one I wrote about product empties. So, this is going to be just like that but on steroids. When we first moved to Okinawa, I wasn’t familiar with the strict rules on recycling and waste disposal, so I kept saving my empty cans of dry shampoo because I didn’t know what to do with them. (PS, it turns out they’re recyclable) Eventually,…

How I’ve Been Treating My Acne

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you’re familiar with my acne-prone, sensitive, oily skin. I feel like I’ve tried an endless flood of skincare regimens from the drugstore, from high-end brands, from gimmicky infomercials (cough, Proactiv). I’ve tried exercising more often, drinking more water, getting more sleep, hormonal birth control, a cocktail of antibiotics and a handful of…

Happy Fri-YAY! As we spring into Spring, I’ve decided to spend more time making our home feel like an inviting, comfortable, and restful space. Over the next month or so, I plan to eliminate unnecessary clothes and shoes from our closets, purge our pantry of old food, and rearrange some furniture. I also want to stop burning candles and wax melts, which cover up household smells (read: I have a…

Try It Tuesday | I Dyed My Birkenstocks

Three years ago, I bought my first pair of Birkenstock sandals—the Granada style in Tobacco Brown. I was in love with those shoes…until the oiled leather deteriorated and they looked weirdly flesh toned against my fair complexion. Birkenstocks are a classic shoe, one that I think should be in everyone’s closet. They’re comfortable, supportive, and the perfect casual summer (or winter—I’d be lying…

I had the opportunity to travel to South Korea over the weekend. Seoul is an amazing city and was exactly the adventure I needed.

reflections and resolutions |2017

Welcome to 2017! I hope your holiday season was full of joy, laughter, and love.Typically at the beginning of a new year, I reflect on accomplishments, challenges, personal growth, personal faults, and decide what I want to focus on in the future; this year I’ve decided to share that reflection on wisconsinwhimsy. I spent an overwhelming amount of time feeling anxious, fixated on the future, and…

holiday favorites | 2016

A brief note | The last few months have been silent on wisconsinwhimsy, and I’d like to apologize and explain why. As many in the blogging community know, it can be overwhelming to constantly generate content, create/shoot/edit images, respond to comments, and keep up with the maintenance of a website. For those of us whose blogs are a passionate hobby rather than a source of income, finding the…

One of my strongest memory triggers is my sense of smell, and spicy, woodsy scents always bring back great memories of fall and its festivities. As you can imagine, one of my favorite ways to cozy up my home for fall is with candles and wax warmers! This was my very first time ordering anything from Scentsy, and I love what I bought!  I picked out the following scents: Juniper Berry, Apple Butter…

If you’re like me and fall is your absolute favorite season, you’re probably itching for some cooler weather, cozy sweaters, and a warm latte right about now. For some reason, by the middle of summer, I’m always impatient for fall. Actually, I would be thrilled if it were October all year round! I love a good pumpkin spice latte, but it can be hard to get that fix out of season. Never fear,…

Here’s a list of the things I bought at the Daiso:

frilly scrunchie (they’re making a comeback)

heart shaped earring backs

mini hair elastics

sock bun thingamajig

strawberry scented glitter nail polish remover

aloe vera facial cleanser

makeup brush/sponge cleanser

silicone vegetable scrubber (I bought it as a makeup brush scrubbie)

ceramic lotus soy sauce dish (repurposed as a ring dish)

heart-shaped sunnies

oven mitt

mason jar sippy

no-show socks

doggy poo bags + holder

not pictured: dog toy

3 different plastic organizers

not pictured: pasta strainer

not pictured: burlap pouch decoration

not pictured: fake decorative herbs

What I picked up at Don Q:

7-pack of LuLuLun brightening sheet masks

peel-off lip stain

Alice in Wonderland DVD (bonus: it plays in english and was only ‎¥‎148)

I’ve had the chance to test out some of the products I bought and I have to say, I am really impressed with the quality of the items I bought! I could probably spend hours in the store, wandering through the aisles and justifying purchasing things I don’t need. Have you ever been to a Daiso? What are your favorite dollar store finds? Let me know in the comments below!