Four years ago, a proudly Pinoy brand of fountain pen ink was launched in Manila. Vinta Inks, launched in March 2019, uses locally sourced pigments meant for fountain pens and calligraphy. Since their launch, Vinta Inks have introduced many fountain pen ink colors that have become crowd favorites here and abroad. Last year in April, Vinta Inks launched their first Capsule Collection of fountain pen inks and two more seasonal inks in December in time for Christmas.
Now, Vinta Inks have surprised us once again with the launch of The Fairytale Collection, a set of five new enchanting fountain pen ink colors that take inspiration from the beloved Lola Basyang fairytales and children's stories, written by the Filipino writer, playwright, and director Severino Reyes. Reyes wrote many children's stories in Liwayway magazine using the pen name "Lola Basyang," a character that describes a grandmother who loves telling stories to young children.
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| Vinta Inks' The Fairytale Collection was launched last February 28 and all five colors are now available. |
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| The Fairytale Collection is available in 30ml spill-proof amber glass bottles with plastic caps. Vinta's ink bottles are individually wrapped in Saran Wrap to prevent leaks in case of breakage or spills. |
The Fairytale Collection by Vinta Inks
The Fairytale Collection from Vinta Inks have five unique and extraordinary colors as they are shading, sheening, and shimmering all at the same time. The five ink colors are the following:
- Saysay 1925 | Mystical Eve – a dark ink with silver shimmer
- Pagtangi 1958 | Clouds of Gray – a gray ink with gold shimmer
- Lakbay 1861 | Sea and Sky – a teal ink with red shimmer
- Salimbay 1949 | Plume – purple ink with pink shimmer
- Lakambini 1950 | The Maiden – pink ink with gold shimmer
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| Please click this image to see the different expressions of the five colors. Each ink swatch in this set has two parts: the upper half is a swatch of the ink without the shimmer, while the lower half shows the shimmer. |
Saysay 1925 | Mystical Eve
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| Saysay 1925 | Mystical Eve |
Saysay 1925 | Mystical Eve is the only dark ink in this collection. It's purple-black with a deep green undertone and fine silver shimmer. Of all five ink colors, Mystical Eve surprised me the most. It's a dark saturated ink, and yet it's also the wettest. It has excellent flow and is very expressive of the color undertone and shimmer.
Mystical Eve is based on the Lola Basyang story titled "Rosamistica," a young orphaned girl who was maltreated and neglected by her relatives. On the day of Rosamistica's aunt's birthday, she was given a 25-centavo coin. Rosamistica went to the fair and was eyeing a doll and some food to eat when she saw a mother and daughter asking for help so they can buy food. Rosamistica kindly gave her coin to the two and received a small bag in return. When she checked the bag, it was full of 25-centavo coins which Rosamistica also gave away to other people needing help.
1925 was the year the Lola Basyang stories first appeared in Liwayway, the oldest Tagalog magazine in the Philippines, published since 1922.
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| Mystical Eve has a deep green undertone and fine silver shimmer. |
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| This dark saturated ink is surprisingly wet with excellent flow. |
Pagtangi 1958 | Clouds of Gray
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| Pagtangi 1958 | Clouds of Gray |
Pagtangi 1958 | Clouds of Gray is a gray ink with brown and purple undertones and fine gold shimmer. I did not expect gray to go so well with gold. The combination of undertones and shimmer in this ink is so beautiful. It flows well and suits wider nibs.
Clouds of Gray is based on "Ang Kastilyong Bakal," the love story of young lovers Princess Olivia and Prince Agaton, who were separated by the jealous sorcerer Serpenton. With only his ingenuity and a few choice items from the elders of his kingdom, Prince Agaton goes on a journey to save the love of his life.
The year 1958 is when Sampaguita Pictures, a Philippine film production company, released the first Lola Basyang film.
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| This gray ink has purple and brown undertones and a fine gold shimmer. |
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| Clouds of Gray is inspired by the fairytale "Kastilyong Gawa sa Bakal." |
Lakbay 1861 | Sea and Sky
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| Labkay 1861 | Sea and Sky |
Lakbay 1861 | Sea and Sky is such a refreshing ink color. Its light blue teal reminds one of the seas and is overlaid with an earthy red shimmer. It's like looking at the horizon while the sun is setting. It has good flow and looks better in a wide nib.
Sea and Sky is based on the Lola Basyang story "Kapatid ng Tatlong Maria," where Teong the folk healer accidentally sets a giant serpent free after cutting down a magical kolesmeloko tree for profit. As punishment for his greed, he must give away his three daughters Maria Trining, Maria Upeng, and Maria Loleng, to three powerful kings. Many years later, the youngest child Pedro journeys across different realms in an effort to find his sisters and reunite his family.
1861 is the birth year of Severino Reyes, the creator and writer of Lola Basyang stories and fairytales.
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| Lakbay's light blue color and red shimmer look so good. This is another expressive ink as it shows blue, teal, and red. |
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| Sea and Sky got its inspiration from a Lola Basyang story where a young boy went looking for his three long-lost sisters. |
Salimbay 1949 | Plume
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| Salimbay 1949 | Plume |
Salimbay 1949 | Plume is a bright purple ink with deep blue undertones and a pretty pink shimmer. It has excellent flow and looks good when used in a wider nib.
Plume is based on the story "Prinsipe ng mga Ibon," where a princess wanted to marry her beloved bird, Prinsipeng Ibon, despite her father's disapproval. In the end, Princess Singsing decided to turn herself into a beautiful bird and fly away with her beloved bird to his kingdom.
1949 is the year when the Lola Basyang comics were first printed and released.
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| This bright purple ink has blue undertones and pink shimmer. |
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| Plume is inspired by a bird prince and his love for a beautiful princess. |
Lakambini 1950 | The Maiden
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| Lakambini 1950 | The Maiden |
Lakambini 1950 | The Maiden is probably everyone's favorite. This gorgeous pink ink has brown-purple undertones and a bright gold shimmer. It's also a wet ink with excellent flow and consistency. Gold shimmer on pink looks so much better.
The Maiden is based on the Lola Basyang story "Ang Binibining Tumalo sa Hari," where a slave's daughter, Sharay, overcame the King's many challenges with wit and cunning in order to with the prince's hand in marriage.
1950 is the year when the Lola Basyang radio drama show became popular.
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| Love the gold shimmer in this pink ink color! |
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| The Maiden is inspired by the fairytale "Ang Binibining Tumalo sa Hari," a story about a slave's daughter who fought for the love of a prince. |
I enjoyed doing the ink swatches and doing the writing samples for these five lovely, happy, bright, and cheery fountain pen inks from Vinta Inks. All five ink colors are beautiful and show the story inspiration for each of them.
Do you want to experience The Fairytale Collection? Do you want to try these beautiful shimmer inks? Vinta Inks ship their inks internationally through regular mail or courier. You can also get Vinta Inks in selected retailers in the US, Australia, Europe, South Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Here is a list of these retailers.
Rants of the Archer thanks Vinta Inks for providing The Fairytale Collection for review purposes. To see their ink collections, visit the Vinta Inks website or follow them on social media:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inksbyvinta/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inksbyvinta/
Really wonderful review of these inks! Thank you!
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