I would like to think that I am the kind of person who will try anything (well almost anything!) once, that includes colors! My collection is dominated by pinks, purples, and blues. I have a few greens here and there, but they are few and far between. Orange, is a whole new world.
KWZ Monarch ended up on my radar after seeing someone post a beautiful stub nib lettering. The beautiful shading gave me the feeling of a sunset and I knew I had to have a bottle. I usually go to Vanness for my KWZ ink, however this was a special case. This ink is made for the Netherlands shop Fontoplumo, and sadly shipping a bottle of Monarch by itself would cost 40 Euros, which was more than the bottle itself, the site did have a free shipping option after a certain amount so I decided that I would have to buy a Pelikan M205, a Visconti Violet, a Rhodia Notebook, and an extra bottle of Monarch to give away here to get the free shipping ^_^. Nice logic right?
It arrived in the standard KWZ packaging of a cardboard box and a plastic wrapped bottle. There is a special butterfly marking on this one however, which is a nice touch!
From the name and the packaging I am guessing that KWZ would have you think of a Monarch Butterfly. I can totally see where they were going with that. It does actually have a pretty butterfly orange color. The shading is gorgeous! It is hard to tell in photos but the saturation is a bit low, if this were a drier pen it might not be legible.
For this review I inked my Montblanc Starwalker 100 Years edition. This was the troublesome pen that brought me into the FP world, but it is a smooth, wet writer.
Ink Journal Entry:
No matter how wet the ink was, there does not appear to be any sort of sheen which is always sad for me. It also dried a bit slower than the other KWZ inks that I have tried, but not by much.
Line going down on CF Paper:
This is a super fun ink for creative writing, art, etc, but I couldn’t see it being used for business purposes. It definitely wont be something I keep inked all the time, but every once in a while this pop of color will bring me joy.
Now for the fun part, the giveaway!
Prize: KWZ Monarch Ink
How To Win:
- Comment on this blog post about what you think of this color. (2 Entries)
- Comment on the FPN Facebook post about this giveaway. (1 Entry)
- Comment on the IG (squishy.ink) Post about this giveaway. (1 Entry)
- Share IG Post. (1 Entry)
- And as always if you subscribe to my blog and let me know you’ll get an additional entry.
Open until the end of the year! 12/31/16 @ 11:59PM HST. I will be drawing the winner on New Year’s Day.
Open to USA.
Thank you to all who make the FP community so great! Happy Holidays ^_^
December 28, 2016 at 11:20 pm
I love the vibrance of this ink color! There seems to be quite a bit of shading as well. This is an ink I would definitely use. Logo goes with the name..very clever! Thank you for sharing this and offering one in the giveaway. I already subscribe and continue to enjoy your posts!
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December 28, 2016 at 11:23 pm
Yay! Thank you for the support :). This is definitely a cool color, it’s out of my comfort zone, but I think that my collection needs some diversity. More oranges and greens! Another reader recommended the Bungbox Orange, that might be next on my list. Good luck!🍀
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December 28, 2016 at 11:56 pm
This ink is so beautiful! :O It kinda reminds me of Apache Sunset.
P.S. Followed you here and on IG 🙂
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December 29, 2016 at 7:05 am
I’ve heard a lot about that color but haven’t gotten around to getting a bottle yet, maybe next 😍💛
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December 29, 2016 at 7:05 am
Thanks for the support btw 💕. I’m semi new to IG and it’s been a lot of fun!
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December 29, 2016 at 12:21 am
Beautiful orange. Doesn’t appear to be hard on the eyes which many oranges can be. Wonderful review as always
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December 29, 2016 at 7:07 am
Thank you :). It isn’t too hard on the eyes, but I would have liked a bit more general saturation. It’s so hard to capture true colors in photos, but some areas for me came out a bit light. I think that adds to the beautiful shading quality though so I will stop complaining lol! 🎉
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December 29, 2016 at 12:24 am
It looks like it is really close to a true Orange. What about it puts you out of your comfort zone?
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December 29, 2016 at 7:08 am
Just the color, I am just more used to blues and purples lol. This is a great color though, and if I’m going to go with an orange I totally don’t mind it being this one 😀
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December 29, 2016 at 12:33 am
Gorgeous! I’ve never tried a KWZ ink and look forward to the opportunity.
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December 29, 2016 at 7:09 am
Thank you and good luck!🍀
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December 29, 2016 at 1:08 am
I have not used these inks but I am attracted to orange. I will give this one a try in my next buying phase. I think the color of this orange is great for journaling.
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December 29, 2016 at 7:10 am
It is a beautiful color for journaling, and a new year is coming 🎉. I can’t wait to break open my new notebooks lol. Just curious, do you do BuJo type journaling?
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December 29, 2016 at 1:50 am
I love how vibrant it is I’ve been wanting to try one of these inks for a while but haven’t made the order. This is an awesome opportunity. Thank you!
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December 29, 2016 at 7:11 am
It’s definitely vibrant! And it’s a great reason to put an order in. I am loving the Pelikan I bought so I could get the free shipping 😂
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December 29, 2016 at 2:44 am
Reminds me very much of Noodler’s Apache Sunset! I would be very interested in giving this one a try.
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December 29, 2016 at 7:12 am
I need to try the Apache! So many people mention it. Would be a cool comparison 😀. Good luck!
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December 29, 2016 at 3:19 am
I have never tried KWZ ink but that is a very nice orange.
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December 29, 2016 at 7:19 am
They are amazing! I only have 4 colors but they all have great attributes and oddly enough a nice smell lol!
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December 29, 2016 at 3:41 am
This would be a great late summer, early fall color! I’d love to win, thanks!
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December 29, 2016 at 7:24 am
You’re right, it totally reminds me of fall! 🍂
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December 29, 2016 at 3:45 am
Would love to try out this hard-to-find ink. I love oranges, and think your generosity is amazing.
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December 29, 2016 at 7:38 am
Thank you 😊 and good luck! 🍀
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December 29, 2016 at 4:06 am
I have never used an orange ink and this one looks beautiful! Also, I have only used cartridges so have been wanting to try bottled ink and this looks like a great place to start! Thanks for the chance!
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December 29, 2016 at 8:54 am
Bottled ink is wonderful! I started with cartridges as well, and I can’t go back! The only reason that is kind of bad is because theres a pen I want that only takes cartridges 😦 Good luck! 🙂
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December 29, 2016 at 4:16 am
I use orange, purple and green. This KWZ looks amazing and I am very thankful for this chance you’ve given us to get one!
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December 29, 2016 at 8:54 am
Yay! Can you recommend some nice greens? I am trying to expand in that direction 🙂 Good luck!
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December 29, 2016 at 4:22 am
Beautiful ink. One of my favorite parts of the noodlers inks are the nice looking labels. This seems to follow, though in a much more profesional manner. This color looks like it’d be the perfect color to sign my name on the end of my penpal letters with. I typically try to use bright colors for that. Also, I an now following :}
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December 29, 2016 at 8:56 am
Thank you for the follow! ^_^ I think the Noodler’s labels are a refreshing hint of color in my cabinet, although sadly I only have a couple of the colors now. I’ve had one good experience and one not so good with their inks. Where did you find your penpal? I was just reading about them on FPGeeks. Seems like a fun thing to do!
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December 29, 2016 at 4:26 am
A deep rich looking orange. Subtle tones.
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December 29, 2016 at 5:03 am
Love that shading!
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December 29, 2016 at 5:04 am
Its a brilliant and beautiful orange! I can think of many ways to use it. Thank you for the opportunity!
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December 29, 2016 at 9:00 am
Yay! Good luck! ^_^
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December 29, 2016 at 5:12 am
Awesome color! Have never tried that brand of ink. Love getting your newsletters almost every day.Glad I subscribed to your blog!
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December 29, 2016 at 9:01 am
Thank you for the support! ^_^ I am so thankful that people enjoy this as much as I do! KWZ is amazing, I highly recommend trying it. Even the smell is pleasant lol.
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December 29, 2016 at 5:20 am
I think this is the prettiest orange yet! I’d love to win a bottle, though I like your thinking about free shipping. I’m subscribed, btw.
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December 29, 2016 at 9:02 am
Thank you for the sub! ❤ And yes, always, always spend the extra $100 or whatever it is to get the free shipping!!! lol.
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December 29, 2016 at 5:36 am
so much want…
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December 29, 2016 at 5:39 am
This is one of my major “want” inks. I LOVE this color. Orange us is my favorite color and I love this one. Thanks!
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December 29, 2016 at 9:03 am
Nice to see so many orange lovers show up here ^_^ Can you recommend some nice orange inks? I am so new to the color!
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March 14, 2017 at 7:21 am
can anyone explain the uploading/entry procedure? the "entry page" is strangely impossible to understand… i uploaded my film to my youtube account, then entered my username and hit "go" – but my &q&tq;thumbnailuouot; does not show up – am i missing something?
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December 29, 2016 at 5:42 am
Love the color and butterfly logo.
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December 29, 2016 at 5:44 am
What a beautiful color – I wish KWZ inks were easier to obtain.
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December 29, 2016 at 9:05 am
Where are you from? A number of places have started carrying them. I usually get them from Vanness in the USA, but I have seen LCDC in NL start to carry them as well. KWZ will also ship worldwide direct, they gave me a shipping quote once but it worked out better to get them from the rep here in the US. Good luck! ^_^
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December 29, 2016 at 5:55 am
Now I have to do research to see if there are any monarch butterflies in the Netherlands 😉
The color does appear to be true to its namesake, however.
It is so pretty and I think it would look very nice in a broad stub nib or a vintage flex pen.
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December 29, 2016 at 9:06 am
Yes!!! I think this ink would be amazing with a stub nib. All of my stubs are currently full 😦 and with colors I like so I couldn’t do a demo but maybe soon! I need to start writing more letters!
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December 29, 2016 at 6:17 am
Love the shading on this one.
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December 29, 2016 at 6:19 am
Let’s try that again with my name 😉
Love the shading on this one.
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December 29, 2016 at 9:06 am
lol was wondering about that ^_^ Good luck!
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December 29, 2016 at 6:46 am
As always thank you for another beautiful giveaway – you spoil us roten ❤ I am so curious about orange inks because I've only tried Yu-yake so far which I like but isn't as vibrant as I'd like. Orange and yellows are color families I didn't think would be good for writing, but actually Diamine Sunshine Yellow was one of the first colors I ever fell in love with.
And of course I'm subscribed and I commented everywhere and shared. Loving all your wonderful updates 🙂
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December 29, 2016 at 9:10 am
❤ Thank you so much for being a huge huge supporter! I must try this Diamine Sunshine yellow! There are so many oranges and yellows that I have yet to try. They are just so outside of what I normally get lol, but when I was making my ink log yesterday I realized that I need more diversity. I was also eyeing the Montblanc lucky orange! I think I just missed that one in the retail stores…ugh I guess its inflated after market prices for me! lol..
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December 29, 2016 at 6:46 am
I absolutely love this color. I first saw it in FPN a few weeks ago (someone posted a picture of their writing) and while I’m not usually drawn to orange, the shading in Monarch is unreal. I’m a sucker for good shading.
Commented on FPN and IG, Following on IG (the account is Kuzitiz), and I’m a subscriber here!
-Theresa Green
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December 29, 2016 at 9:07 am
Hi Theresa! Nice to see you here, your avatar of the doggie always makes me smile when I see it on FPN. That is the first place I saw this ink too, I can’t remember who it was but it was a beautiful stub nib photo. I am hoping that the ink runs out of one of my stubs soon so I can test this!
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December 29, 2016 at 7:14 am
LOoks like an interesting orange ink! Thank you for the giveaway!
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December 29, 2016 at 7:20 am
It’s a great orange. I’ve been getting into orange inks. So far I only have a couple, but this looks like a nice one to try.
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December 29, 2016 at 8:33 am
Thanks for the giveaway! I love orange inks so this looks like an ink that is right up my alley.
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December 29, 2016 at 8:58 am
Beautiful color!
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December 29, 2016 at 9:26 am
I love the colour of Monarch! Would love a little taste of it 🙂
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December 29, 2016 at 9:50 am
I’m starting to really love these KWZ inks ever since trying out their Honey. Monarch is no exception. They really seem to show off great shading depth in most of my pens. Especially loving the dark to light orange hues here. I think I’d prefer the legibility in this one over say the brighter Noodlers Apache Sunset for example. Good luck, everyone! And I am subscribed to the blog 🙂 Looking forward to more of your posts in the future!
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December 29, 2016 at 11:44 am
Yay! Thanks for the sub 🙂 I have been wanting to try Honey as well, I saw Vanness has one that says “new formula”, I wonder what is different from the old one. I wanted to get a bottle of Apache Sunset, but if it isn’t as legible or more than this, I may have to pass 😦
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December 29, 2016 at 10:16 am
🍊 is the new black! Monarch is my favorite butterfly.
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December 29, 2016 at 10:57 am
This is s beautiful ink color. Thank you for generously giving it away. Would love to throw my hat in the ring to possibly be a winner.
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December 29, 2016 at 11:00 am
I am rarely drawn to orange either in my clothing choices, my home decor, or my art choices. I am sure it wouldn’t be my first choice for ink either. However, having read your blog post, this orange ink is actually quite appealing. There is something about the way it varies between dark and light, between the yellow, red, and brown, that makes me think of crisp, Autumnal days, with golden light coming through the leaves on the trees.
I subscribe to your blog and commented on your FPN FB post. I don’t have Instagram.
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December 29, 2016 at 11:46 am
Thanks for the support ^_^ Yes, this is a very interesting orange, the shading is so fantastic. I live in Hawaii so we don’t have much of a Fall season, but it reminds me of my days on the mainland. Orange is such a nice pop of color!
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December 29, 2016 at 2:06 pm
Really nice color, I’ve being loving oranges, yellows and golden colors lately! Mmm, when we will see a Vannes LE ink from KWZ? Jajaja
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December 29, 2016 at 2:34 pm
That would be amazing, and I would be praying for a sheeny pink lol!!! I love Vanness. I’m also after that Northern Twilight from the pen show….all these grails lol. Going to need like 10 jobs at some point ^_^
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December 29, 2016 at 7:19 pm
Love the ink
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December 29, 2016 at 7:48 pm
Sweet! I love KWZ Inks (Standard Honey especially) and saw this one recently and was planning to order it. Thank you!!
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December 29, 2016 at 8:21 pm
I have been wondering about the Honey color as well. Do you know what the difference between the new formula and the old is? I saw the new formula on Vanness and wondered what they changed 🙂
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February 4, 2017 at 5:46 pm
Sorry I did not respond before now. My understanding of what they changed was something to make it less smelly, possibly the anti-fungal agent? Still seems to write the same, I have some of both formulations.
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December 30, 2016 at 12:16 am
I love to color of this ink. I am trying to expand my collection of inks and this would be great ink for that
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December 30, 2016 at 2:31 pm
Looks like a nice ink!
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December 30, 2016 at 2:31 pm
It sure is! Good luck 🍀
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