Monday, May 24, 2010

White Pen #1,254

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration - I have not really tried 1254 white pens.  But if you are like me, there is a never ending search for a good white pen that will write on anything.  And just when I settle on a favorite, it disappears, never to be found again.  My current favorite is the Uniball Signo White gel pen.  I know other people have favorites too.  I also like the Souffle, Latte, and Glaze pens.  Lots of people like Jelly Roll, but maybe I had some bad ones because they didn't work for me.  I think a lot also depends on whether your local environment is dry, humid, etc, whether you store them horizontal or vertical, and any number of things.  As a rule, if I have to shake and pump a pen, it is going to eventually spread a big fat blob on my page when I least expect it.  That makes me very unhappy.

So, my point here is that if I hear of something, I might give it a try.  This time, I found myself in the cosmetics aisle at Walgreen's after hearing about a Nail Art Pen.  It comes in several colors including white and metallics.  It has a fine point.  You can easily wipe it off and start over before it dries, yet it dries fairly quickly.  And I figured if it is designed to make marks on nail polish, it surely would work on acrylic pages or other art pages.  The big drawback is the price - $7.99 (I found one at Kroger for $7.95.  I'll check Walmart next as they also carry Sally Hansen products).  I debated and pondered, bit my lip and forked out $8. 

I wouldn't say this is the best thing in the universe, but it's a decent little pen.  Just shake before using.  It has to be pumped once to get it started, but I have not had to do it again so far.  The instructions say not to use it on dry fingernails, to paint them first.  So, when it is used on regular paper, it is less than impressive. 


But on any slick or glossy surfaces, it is a dream.  I tried it on metal, acetate, vellum, magazine pages, vinyl, and photos.  (And just for fun, I did try it on my fingernail.  If I had some black nail polish, I would have painted my fingernails black, then added white dots like dominoes! But I don't.)  I'm thinking acetate journal pages like the one below.  It has some possibilities!

Would I spend another $8?  I don't know.  I'll see how long this lasts and what the durability is like.  I do like the cute little flower on the cap!

7 comments:

Mike M. said...

I really hate the little flower thingie on the cap but I'm going to have to have one of these - I'll see if Chris will buy me one on her next trip to Walmart. Thanks for the review Pat!

Cori Lynn Berg said...

I like the flower.. and good for you for thinking outside the box!

gaye said...

OOOOOOOH! really like it on acetate. That will look good in my new journal I started today. :-) And I'm likin' the flower.

Pat said...

Thanks for the comments! I forgot to mention this pen has absolutely NO odor, which is unusual for some pens and most nail care products. That's a big plus!

Mike M. said...

Wait - no odor? That could be a deal breaker!

Karoda said...

Hi Pat, I joined KCG but only attended a few meetings last year...that to say, you don't know me, but I appreciate this tip on the white pen and will be trotting to Walmart to look for them! Thanks!

Karoda said...

I wanted to pop back over here and let you know that I picked up this pen in silver and love it! I like to write on fabric to create palettes for my quilts and this one is a keeper! The only deal breaker is if I don't get much juice out of it compared to the price tag...have you used your pen much yet? If so, what is the lasting power?