Hello, welcome back to 25 Days of Dupes 2023. Below you’ll find the inks for days 5-11. If you have a suggestion for a possible dupe for any of these inks, let me know in the comments, and I’ll add it to the wrap up post.
Some reminders:
- I’m not attempting to dupe the special properties of the inks — sheen, shimmer, scent — only the base color.
- You can click the images to view them larger.
- I swatched each ink with a small (#2) paintbrush and wrote with a Zebra G dip nib.
- Behind-the-scenes: I included more than just my final swatches for each ink. Preliminary swatches are on Iroful A5 dot grid paper. I’ve found that inks can look VERY different on this paper. I swatched the top matches on Franklin-Christoph sugar cane paper (from a leftover Firma-Flex notebook) and Kokuyo 5mm grid Sarasara loose-leaf paper.
- While I try to edit the images so they look as close to real life as possible, I can’t guarantee that the color you see on your screen will be true to life. However, with all the dupes on the same page, you’ll see how the colors look in relation to each other, which is the main point of these posts.
- I can’t fairly call any ink a perfect color match, as I’m not comparing them scientifically, I’m just using my eyes. Therefore, I won’t be going any further than calling an ink a “near-perfect color match.”
- You can view all of the shorts I’ve created for shimmer inks on my Diamine Inkvent 2023 YouTube playlist.
Enjoy, and happy inking!
Jump to a day: Nightfall | ⇣ Bucks Fizz | ⇣ Sweet Dreams | ⇣ Jacaranda | ⇣ Moon Beam | ⇣ Velvet Emerald | ⇣ Glacier
Day 5: Nightfall
Nightfall is a blue-black chameleon ink with a hint of bronze shimmer. The shimmer shifts from teal to turquoise to blue. The multichrome shift is prominent in the swatches, but only barely visible in the writing samples.
Aurora Blue Black is the best match, with Diamine Silent Night a close second.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Nightfall are (swatched left-to-right): Aurora Blue Black, Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite, Ferris Wheel Press Stroke of Midnight, Diamine Indigo, Taccia Koiai, and Diamine Silent Night.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Aurora Blue Black is a near-perfect color match. Tanzanite is too pale, and a bit too desaturated. Stroke of Midnight is too pale. Indigo is significantly too pale, and perhaps too desaturated. Koiai is too saturated. Silent Night is a bit too pale.
Initial Swatches
I tested MANY additional inks against Nightfall. The test inks are: 1) Taccia Koiai, 2) Diamine Silent Night, 3) Diamine Stargazer, 4) Aurora Blue/Black, 5) Noodler’s 54th Massachusetts, 6) Pelikan Edelstein Tanzanite, 7) Ferris Wheel Press Stroke of Midnight, 8) DeAtramentis Sherlock Holmes, 9) Caran d’Ache Magnetic Blue, 10) DeAtramentis Madame de Pompadour, 11) Robert Oster Thunderstorm, and 12) Diamine Indigo.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | Bucks Fizz | ⇣ Sweet Dreams | ⇣ Jacaranda | ⇣ Moon Beam | ⇣ Velvet Emerald | ⇣ Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 6: Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz is a pale orange chameleon ink. The shimmer shifts from gold to a pale blue. The duochrome shift is prominent in the swatches, but is not visible in the writing samples.
Monteverde Topaz is the best match, although it’s a bit more vibrant than Bucks Fizz on Franklin-Christoph paper.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Bucks Fizz are (swatched left-to-right): Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake, Colorverse Space Needle, Ferris Wheel Press Main St. Marmalade, Monteverde Topaz.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Yu-Yake is too vibrant and too dark. Space Needle tends too much toward coral. Main St. Marmalade is too yellow. Topaz is a near-perfect color match.
Initial Swatches
I tested MANY additional inks against Bucks Fizz. The test inks are: 1) Ferris Wheel Press Main St. Marmalade, 2) Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake, 3) Robert Oster Peach, 4) Diamine Peach Haze, 5) Ferris Wheel Press Definitely Peachy, 6) Colorverse Space Needle, 7) Sailor Ink Studio 173, 8) Diamine Peach Punch, and 9) Monteverde Topaz.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | ⇡ Bucks Fizz | Sweet Dreams | ⇣ Jacaranda | ⇣ Moon Beam | ⇣ Velvet Emerald | ⇣ Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 7: Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams is a magenta scented ink. I don’t know what it’s supposed to smell like, but I think it’s horrendous. It feathered horribly on all three papers — and even in the writing sample — the only ink up to this point to do so. I can only assume there’s an issue with the scented ink formula.
Perhaps because this ink is so terrible, I wasn’t able to find a match close enough to consider a dupe. However, Lamy Vibrant Pink is the closest I could find. Coincidentally, another ink that people didn’t really like.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Sweet Dreams are (swatched left-to-right): Colorverse Lights on Ceres, Lamy Vibrant Pink, and Octopus Fluids Write and Draw Pink Gazelle.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Lights on Ceres is too dark. Vibrant Pink is just slightly off, although I can’t quite put my finger on why; perhaps because it has an “almost sheen” that makes it look warmer than it actually is. Pink Gazelle is a bit too red.
Initial Swatches
I tested MANY additional inks against Sweet Dreams. The test inks are: (top) Taccia Momo, (left-to-right) Colorverse Lights on Ceres, Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji, Pelikan Edelstein Star Ruby, Lamy Vibrant Pink, Rohrer & Klingner SketchINK Vroni, Sailor Ink Studio 237, and Octopus Fluids Write Draw Pink Gazelle.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | ⇡ Bucks Fizz | ⇡ Sweet Dreams | Jacaranda | ⇣ Moon Beam | ⇣ Velvet Emerald | ⇣ Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 8: Jacaranda
Jacaranda is a blurple (blue-purple) “standard” ink, but it’s actually a multishader on the right paper. There is definitely some pink in there if you get enough ink in one spot.
Kobe 56 Rokko Shichidanka and Birmingham Pen Company Wisteria are the best matches I found. They both shade a bit darker than Jacaranda, but the color is really close.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Jacaranda are (swatched left-to-right): Sailor Manyo Nekoyanagi, Kobe 56 Rokko Shichidanka, Vinta Salimbay (Plume), and Birmingam Pen Co Wisteria.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Nekoyanagi is too pale. 56 is a bit darker and perhaps a hint more blue, depending on the light. Salimbay is too blue. Wisteria is a bit darker in the swatch, but the writing samples are near-perfect color matches.
Initial Swatches
I tested several additional inks against Jacaranda. The test inks are (swatched left-to-right): Kobe 56 Rokko Shichidanka, Sailor Nekoyanagi, Vinta Salimbay (Plume), Van Dieman’s Blue Jay Crown, Birmingham Pen Co Wisteria, and Dominant Industry Manschurian Violet.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | ⇡ Bucks Fizz | ⇡ Sweet Dreams | ⇡ Jacaranda | Moon Beam | ⇣ Velvet Emerald | ⇣ Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 9: Moon Beam
Moon Beam is a greenish-gray chameleon ink. The shimmer shifts from blue to purple. The multichrome shift is prominent in the swatches and writing samples.
While I was not able to find a match quite close enough to consider a dupe, DeAtramentis Charles Dickens is a REALLY close match. Diamine Graphite is equally close on Kokuyo and Franklin-Christoph paper, but is significantly too green on Iroful paper.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Moon Beam are (swatched left-to-right): Lamy Agate, Diamine Graphite, DeAtramentis Charles Dickens.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Agate is too gray and too pale. Graphite is a hint too green. Charles Dickens is a hint too green as well.
Initial Swatches
I tested several additional inks against Moon Beam. The test inks are (swatched left-to-right): Van Dieman’s Russian Blue, Lamy Agate, Octopus Fluids Write & Draw Green Squirrel, Diamine Earl Grey, Taccia Hiroshige Ainezu, Diamine Graphite, and DeAtramentis Charles Dickens.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | ⇡ Bucks Fizz | ⇡ Sweet Dreams | ⇡ Jacaranda | ⇡ Moon Beam | ⇣ Velvet Emerald | ⇣ Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 10: Velvet Emerald
Velvet Emerald is a teal standard ink. It’s that teal-with-red-sheen I think of when someone says “basic teal ink.”
Monteverde DC Supershow Teal is the closest match, with a bit of “translucency” to the color, while Diamine Garland comes in a close second, and may be a better fit for you if you want a brighter color, more sheen, or shimmer.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Velvet Emerald are (swatched left-to-right): KWZ Menthol Green, Diamine Garland, Monteverde California Teal, and Monteverde DC Supershow Teal.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Menthol Green is too blue. Garland is the correct hue, but too dark. California Teal is too green and too dark. Supershow Teal is a near-perfect color match.
Initial Swatches
I tested one additional ink against Velvet Emerald. The test inks are (swatched left-to-right): KWZ Menthol Green, Diamine Garland, Monteverde California Teal, Diamine Blue Peppermint, and Monteverde DC Supershow Teal.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | ⇡ Bucks Fizz | ⇡ Sweet Dreams | ⇡ Jacaranda | ⇡ Moon Beam | ⇡ Velvet Emerald | Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Day 11: Glacier
Glacier is a powder blue “star bright.” It’s the only ink with a new formula this year, but there isn’t any official information about what “star bright” is. I think it just means the shimmer is extra shiny. One thing I know for sure, though, is it’s not particularly fountain pen friendly. This ink CLOGS LIKE CRAZY!
The best color match I found was Vinta Lucia. However, if you’re a shimmer enthusiast, you should check out Van Dieman’s Snow Leopard Frost, as its shimmer is just as bright as Glacier — if not brighter — and the colors are similar.
Top Matches
The top matches I compared to Glacier are (swatched left-to-right): Wearingeul Lost, Sailor Manyo Koke, Vinta Lucia (Deepwater Blue), and Van Dieman’s Snow Leopard Frost.
On Kokuyo Sarasara paper, Lost is too muted. Koke is a hint too green. Lucia is a near-perfect color match, although it shades slightly pink. Snow Leopard Frost is too muted and pale, but the shimmer is an exact match.
Initial Swatches
I tested MANY additional inks against Glacier. The test inks are: 1) Sailor Many Haha, 2) Wearingeul Lost, 3) Robert Oster Muddy Water, 4) Vinta Lakbay (Sea and Sky), 5) Kyo No Oto Hisoku, 6) Sailor Manyo Koke, 7) Coloverse α Cma, 8) Vinta Lucia, and 9) Van Dieman’s Snow Leopard Frost.
Jump to a day: ⇡ Nightfall | ⇡ Bucks Fizz | ⇡ Sweet Dreams | ⇡ Jacaranda | ⇡ Moon Beam | ⇡ Velvet Emerald | ⇡ Glacier | ⤒ Back to Top
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. What was your favorite color from this week? Are there any you’ll want to get later, or do you already have some of the dupe inks? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
