Ink Shot Review: KWZI Menthol Green @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to Appelboom for sending this ink for a review! I am attracted to this minty green sort of color so I figured Menthol Green would be perfect for me. Alas...

ABOUT

Color: Green

Bottle: 60 ml

Price: €8.22

Where to buy: Appelboom

Discount code for 10% off: friend

PROS 

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Bottle is tinted to save your ink from UV exposure. It also comes in a box, making it easy to stack.
• Easy to store on your shelf in the box.
• Well-behaved. 
• Looks beautiful in heavy applications - rich and saturated. 

CONS

• Each bottle is wrapped in plastic wrap. I realize this is likely to prevent leaking but it feels wasteful to me.
• If you use this in a very wet application, it can take a long time to dry and remain a little smudgy. 
• KWZI inks have a particular smell - some describe it as vanilla. Myself, I do not like it at all. I suffer the smell for the joy of their colors. Fortunately, the smell does not linger on the page, but I feel I must warn you in the event that you find smelly inks off-putting. 

OVERALL

I was surprised to find I was not totally crazy about this ink. As a lover of minty green, I thought this would really be perfect. It is a pretty color but it did not blow me away. I would have liked some more shading. 

I received this item/these items free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Mailbox Goodies Sailor Pen House Sapporo Fountain Pens

Mailbox Goodies of irresistible sparkly pens. I couldn't help myself. I purchased these from Pen-House via White Rabbit Express! WHAT COULD THESE BE??? Have you used White Rabbit Express? Do you obsess over pens you can't get easily? Do you end up buying them all so you can pick your favorite then sell the other one then end up not selling anything at all?

Sunday Reads: July 29. 2018

Stuff I Looked At Elsewhere & Read

• Peanut butter brownies with candied cacao nibs - The Vanilla Bean Blog.
• Mississippi mud cake - Tastes Better from Scratch.
• Incredible Architectural Designs and Fantastical Florals Made From Chocolate by Pastry Chef Amaury Guichon - Colossal.
• SBREBrown talks a bit about collecting, using, and accumulating fountain pens!
• Astonishing Origami - Colossal.
• This Artist Burns Fractals Into Wood and Then Turns It Into Furniture - Twisted Sifter.
• Chocolate éclair cake - Brown-Eyed Baker.
• Vivid Rainbow Roads Trace Illuminated Pathways Across Forests and Beaches - Colossal.
• Easy buttermilk biscuits - Brown-Eyed Baker.
• A really weird Instagram account. TW: images may freak you out.
• 20+ Rare Vintage Photos Of Grocery Stores - Bored Panda.
• I'm re-sharing this video because I hope it inspires you to do something you love! My First Calligraphy Workshop! It was 1000% Worth It.
• I WANT THESE WINDOWS. Colossal.
• Blueberry London Fog Popsicles - Snixy Kitchen.

Stuff I Apparently Did This Week

• Ink Shot Review: Robert Oster Ink Gold Antiqua
• Wordless Wednesday
• Krishna Inks Brown Pink Fountain Pen Ink Review
• Lamy 2000 Makrolon Fountain Pen Impressions

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If you're doing any browsing and shopping, please do check out my sponsors in the sidebar, because they help make all this possible. Some of these links are affiliate links, which provides me with a small commission but does not add any extra cost to your purchase. Some links are just referral links, but there is no obligation to purchase through any of these links. Your purchases through my links help support this blog and allows me to fulfill review requests. Either way, I appreciate your readership and your support so much, so thank you!

Discount codes here!

@Lamy 2000 Makrolon Fountain Pen Impressions

Thanks to Lamy Canada for sending the Lamy 2000 Makrolon for a review. You can follow Lamy Canada on Instagram! I was not paid to create this video - I thought it would be really fun. I hope you enjoy and perhaps find it useful. Let me know!

Krishna Inks Brown Pink Fountain Pen Ink Review @PenChalet

Thank you to Krishna Inks for sending this ink for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Brown
Bottle: 20 ml
Price: $8.00 USD
Where to buy: Explore options here!
Follow Krishna Inks on Instagram!

PROS

• Affordable.
• A "reasonable" amount of ink if you enjoy using different colors.
• Interesting color that seems quite unique.
• Great shading.
• Intense sheen.

CONS

• This ink was pretty solid. Even with the sheen, it flowed well and did not dry out too easily.

OVERALL

Fair price and a strange but quite attractive brown. It is on the warm side and I found it quite well-behaved. Not many issues in the way of drying time or smudging, and it still shows a fair amount of shading. I think a pink sheen would have been extra cool.






This is a sponsored post. Krishna Inks is compensating me for my time and efforts. I will remain as unbiased as I possibly can, I promise. I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. 

Wordless Wednesday

Ink Shot Review: @RobertOsterInk Gold Antiqua

I bought this ink with my own pennies at Bauer Inks!

ABOUT

Color: Gold
Bottle: 50 ml
Price: $20.00 CAD
Where to buy: BauerInks

PROS

• Easy to store bottles.
• The label on top of the cap shows a smear of the ink so it's easy to see the color at a glance.
• Simple packaging, which I appreciate. Little waste.
• Shades beautifully. 
• Well-behaved.
• Gorgeous color for artwork. Great color all around!

CONS

• Not an inexpensive ink. 
• No water resistance.

OVERALL

Gold Antiqua didn't really interest me until I actually tried it. It has gorgeous shading, it's golden and not a blah brownish color, and it's well-behaved. I'm a big fan of this ink! A great gold if you don't want something too yellow.

Sunday Reads: July 22. 2018

Stuff I Looked At Elsewhere & Read

• World's best butter - Saveur.
• Graham toffee cracker bars - Tastes Better from Scratch.
• A Colorful Medley of Inventive Type Animations Puts the Alphabet in Motion - Colossal.
• Ice cream cake roll - Smitten Kitchen.
• Swirling Lines and Swaths of Charcoal Form Dramatic Portraits - Colossal.
• Succulent cookie cups - Sweet Ambs.
• Earl Grey Shortbread with Blood Orange Glaze - Love and Olive Oil.
• Why you should make your life spectacular - Goalcast.
• Watch a Vinyl Record Spin so Quickly That it Shatters - Colossal.
• This Pastry Chef Can Make Absolutely Anything Out of Chocolate - Twisted Sifter.
• Canadian lakes to see - The Weather Network.
• Mountain mama icebox cake - Brown Eyed Baker. Are you sick of food yet?
• An Instagram account where dogs are groomed into circles? Amazing.
• Classic paintings with a twist. Sad and Useless.
• The 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Winners - Nat Geo.

Stuff I Apparently Did This Week

• Ink Shot Review: Robert Oster Ink Astorquiza Rot
• Wordless Wednesday
• Krishna Inks Myrtle Fountain Pen Ink Review
• Yenderings 6 Pen Wrap Sugar Beach
• Field Trip: Kaut Bullinger in Nuremberg, Germany

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If you're doing any browsing and shopping, please do check out my sponsors in the sidebar, because they help make all this possible. Some of these links are affiliate links, which provides me with a small commission but does not add any extra cost to your purchase. Some links are just referral links, but there is no obligation to purchase through any of these links. Your purchases through my links help support this blog and allows me to fulfill review requests. Either way, I appreciate your readership and your support so much, so thank you!

Discount codes here!