Private Reserve Burgundy Mist Fountain Pen Ink

This is a bit more appropriate for the fall season, no?
I received this ink in a shipment with PR Blue Suede and a much needed Lamy Medium nib, so it was kind of hard for this ink to stand out from the get-go. I was a bit more excited about Blue Suede for some reason... not sure why, exactly. Maybe it was because I had a "need" in mind I wanted to fill. You see, I get an idea of a shade I "need" in my head, then I have to fulfill it. Blue Suede was intended to be my "peacock blue-green" color. I just ordered Burgundy Mist because I thought I had a pretty good idea of what it would really look like, and I liked that color. It came through for me, which was very nice, after the Black Cherry disappointment.
This color really reminds me of light shining through a glass of grape juice. I would guess the color of burgundy wine is not far off from that, though I wouldn't know, as I only enjoy cheap wine that tastes like grape juice. That's another post, for a later date. The ink seems a touch lighter to me on Rhodia paper than in my journal (which is a cheapish ring bound flip-top notepad from Target). The scan looks pretty accurate, just lighter than what I am seeing in person. This is probably because it is three o'clock in the morning and thus the lighting isn't the best right now. However...the color of the Pink Varsity comparison is way off in the scan from what I see in person. I dabbled in color correction again, to no avail. You'll just have to look at all the examples and get an average expectation if you are considering purchasing this ink. 
Would I buy it again? Yep, I liked Burgundy Mist alright from the start, but with more use it has continued to grow on me and now I really love it!
Shay.

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche Fountain Pen Ink

I am not going to be saying much about this ink that hasn't been said before.

This a very pretty color. The hue reminds me of what I would want a Caribbean beachfront view to look like. The shading is gorgeous, to me it looks like the ink tends to "pool" on the lower half of letters. That may be due to the pen/nib, or the way I write, but I feel it gives a very pleasing effect. It makes me think of the gradient of colors you see as tropical waters get deeper. Bleu Pervenche made me want a pina colada with a float of blue curacao on the top of it! A very pretty color for summer, which is probably when I will ink up with it again, as I am a strong believer in seasonal palettes.
Would I buy it again? Yes, but probably with a more specific intent in mind, rather than as a staple ink.

Shay.

Private Reserve Blue Suede Fountain Pen Ink

I wish Private Reserve would rename this ink. First of all, I think it is kind of misleading. This looks much more green to me in person than blue. Yes, it is a hardy teal, but if I had to put it under a "blue" or "green" category, I would go with green. Secondly, I have an irrational fear of Elvis, and I don't like to be reminded of that. I had a nightmare about him when I was little that he kidnapped me and my dead grandfather had to come to my rescue. I know, I know...I've got issues.
Anyway, I think this is a lovely color. Teal is right up there when it comes to my favorite hues, and it seems to have been quite popular this year. I have several articles of clothing that are almost this exact color. It is nice to write with, but so far I have only had it in a Lamy Safari with a 1.1 italic nib. It shades very nicely, and although my "technical" dry time test went up to twenty seconds before a "dry" result, it doesn't seem to take that long at all when actually writing. In fairness, the "1"'s on my ten and fifteen were pretty wet. It is no where near waterproof, but I have seen worse. There is no bleedthrough on the Rhodia paper, and even the Varsity comparisons bled through a tiny bit. I will add that I think the scan seems just a tick or two lighter than what I see in person, and a little less green than what I pick up on as well. I tried to correct it a bit, but that seemed to make things worse rather than better. Overall, I think it is a decent enough idea of what it really looks like. Would I buy it again? Yes!
Tada!:


May your ink flow freely and the stains wash off your hands,
Shay.

Private Reserve Black Cherry Fountain Pen Ink

This will be pretty short. I have had lots of personal drama, and I am just now starting to feel a bit more like myself again. I don't think anyone reads this, or cares too much about my opinion of writing instruments and the like, but I do it anyway. I'm stubborn like that.

I had pretty high hopes for this ink. I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of dark red inks. Come to think of it, I like dark inks in general, as long as they have color. Doesn't make much sense does it? Oh well, I never claimed to, but I digress.

I wanted a dark red, a crimson reminiscent of blood, perhaps not as bright. Much to my chagrin, Black Cherry was way too brown, not at all like what I wanted. Turns out, I should have looked into the color more before I bought it. Due to my disappointment, I think I will be a little too neurotic when picking out future ink colors. The color is a more natural take on the true color of a black cherry, I think. I could be wrong, because the only kind of cherry I really like to eat is of the Maraschino persuasion. I found it to be more brownish on Rhodia paper than the crappy paper I use for initial testing. The ink shaded nicely, and I'm sure if you want a brownish-red, earthy color, this would be right up your alley. Unfortunately for me, I just don't like it, and I'll probably never use it again. 

Here are the samples, both done in a Lamy Safari, a fine nib and a 1.5 calligraphy/italic. The fine nib sample was done on aforementioned crappy paper. 

I think these scans come off a tad bit more red than they look in person.

Oh well,
Shay.

Private Reserve Ebony Purple Fountain Pen Ink

I like purple. It has a lot of different shades, and can evoke many different emotions. I definitely wanted a purple ink for this time of year. Everyone knows: jewel tones are always "in" in fall. After some personal medical and educational drama, I decided to finally treat myself to some real inks, and a converter for my Lamy Safari, that way I could use them. The first two inks I received from JetPens were J. Herbin Bleu Myosotis (a kind of denim color) and Private Reserve Black Cherry. I was underwhelmed by both of them, and I only ordered them because they didn't have one single interesting purple in stock. In a desperate search to quench my purple needs, I ordered two more inks from The Goulet Pen Company. From those fine folks, I received Private Reserve Ebony Purple and J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche. I'll have more on the other three inks later; for now it's all about the Ebony Purple.
Some ink names can be misleading, others can be downright out of left field. Such is not the case with Ebony Purple. It is exactly what it claims to be: purple so dark, it's almost black. It could easily be mistaken for black if viewed in certain conditions. I kind of like that about it. You could probably get away with using this in a professional or academic setting where blue or black ink is all that is really accepted. The darkness is greatly dependent on how saturated the line you are putting down is. The swab from a q-tip doesn't look black at all. It's kind of deep lavender, I'm guessing it looks quite similar to Caran d'Ache Storm or J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune. Here is my swab swatch:

Coming out of a pen nib, it is a different story. It is much darker under artificial light than in natural. It pretty much looks black this time of night while illuminated only by my desk lamp. Natural light brings out the purple much more, but it is still pretty dark. I think the scans are relatively accurate though the shading is much more pronounced in the scan. It's a nice writer, neither too wet nor too dry. Flow is nice. My 50ml bottle was $8.25 (before shipping) from The Goulet Pen Company. I definitely like this ink a lot and I will reorder more when I run out. Here is my written review:


On a side note: I am not affiliated with nor compensated by JetPens or The Goulet Pen Company. I found both of them to be very nice to buy from, and shipping was very fast from both (JetPens came form CA, Goulet order came from VA, and both arrived 3 business days after placing my order). The Goulet Pen Company added a handwritten note to me on my invoice and included some swatches of other inks, for my own future reference. I found Brian Goulet's personal touches quite endearing. I will be ordering from both companies in the future!
Shay.

Semi-personal Update.

It has been quite sometime since Nick or myself have posted anything on here. For the NONE of you that read this, I feel the obligation to explain.
At first, I was gearing up to start school for nursing. I was due to begin my journey to pill-jockey-dom on October 4th. Exactly one week before, I began having a funny pain in my back. It turned out to be, as I had feared, a kidney stone. Once again, I'm taken out by my own body.
SO basically, I've been trying to take care of that ever since. We've been busy, and poor (more than usual). Things are beginning to look up, and I have surgery to hopefully finally get rid of this rock inside me tomorrow morning. I decided to be a Social Worker when I grown up, instead of a nurse. I am in the process of trying to get accepted to Northern Kentucky University so I can do that. I also have a new order of writing implements coming from JetPens. Once I am up and running and have some reviews and or news to share with all of you, I will do so post-haste!
Shay.