Pen & Ink: Lamy Al-Star Bluegreen w/ Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses

It was exactly as I had hoped it would be! The Lamy Al-Star Bluegreen!

2014 Special Edition Lamy Al-Star Bluegreen. Fine point nib.

This was definitely a surprise for me. Before purchasing this pen, I Googled the pen to attempt to get the correct color. However, as most people know, each camera and lighting situation is different. So it was really hard to get an idea of what this pen would look like. Some people described it to have more of a teal look, which was not what I wanted. Others said it had more blue than green. Maybe they were color-blind because I do not see much blue. Even my camera (picture above) from my phone was unable to capture the perfect picture displaying the correct color. It almost has a metallic appearance to it, and in my opinion is perfectly made with both blue and green.

Lamy Al-Star with a Z24 cartridge converter

Then it was time to choose an ink. I specifically ordered Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses because it appeared to be darker than the last "red/burgundy" ink that I had tried (Noodler's Antietam). Sure enough, it was darker.

Lamy Al-Star inked up with Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses

I must say that I am pretty pleased with this ink. It does seem to be a bit wetter, and can bleed through slightly more in thin paper. But it does well in my Paperblanks journals (and anyone who writes often in a journal, especially a Paperblanks journal, knows that the pages are nice and thick. Only a Sharpie might penetrate the pages) which is my current journal for writing at this time.

Top left & bottom left: were both in my Arc notebook and paper from Staples.
Top right and bottom right: were in my Paperblanks journal.

It is a pretty consistent ink (stays the same color most of the time while writing) unlike Noodler's Antietem. I definitely like this ink. I did my best with what I had to attempt to show you the best color. In my opinion, this ink is more of a red/purple mix than the color you see on the example at Gouletpens.com. When I compare what I see here, and what is written in my journal, it is pretty close.

Via: Goulet Pens