Wednesday Reviews : Bullet Journal

Hi everyone!  Happy Wednesday!

I've been talking a lot about my new love of the bullet journal (aka the bujo), so today I wanted to share reviews of the products that I use.  I'll also be writing a post about how I actually use the bullet journal next week, so stay tuned for that.

The beauty of the bullet journal system is that it works with any paper and pen that you have on hand.  You could use a spiral notebook and some free pen you got from a hotel, or you could get a top-of-the-line fountain pen and gold-encrusted notebook made with unicorn hair.  Either way- it works!

When I started to do research about how other people use their bujo, I saw a lot of the same products over and over with amazing reviews, so I decided to give them a try.  I'm really happy with my purchases and wanted to share some thoughts in case any of you want to get started on this journey as well.  Let's get to the reviews!

Leuchtturm Medium Hardcover Journal

If you're going to start a bullet journal, the only thing you really need is some sort of a journal!  Any kind really works, but after reading about other people who bujo, I decided to follow the crowd and get a Leuchtturm.  These journals are really fantastic!  Here are a few things that I love about the brand :

- The cover is sturdy, which helps prevent it from getting destroyed when I throw it in my bag.  It also makes it easy to write on-the-go.

- The paper is pretty thick, which prevents the pens and markers from leaking through to the other side.  One of the best parts of using a bullet journal is the freedom to be creative and doodle in your notes, so it's nice that I can be generous with ink and it doesn't bleed through and ruin the other side of the page.

- The size is perfect.  I usually have three days on each page, which is a great size.  It's small enough to throw in my bag, but also big enough that I have plenty of space to write or draw.

- There is an index in the beginning of the notebook, which is one of the essential parts of the bullet journal system to keep everything organized.  There's also a folder in the back to hold scraps of paper.

-There are so many different variations of this journal available!  I got the emerald green one, but there are tons of colors out there.  I also (accidentally) got a blank notebook, but there are also ones that come dotted, which makes it easier to keep your writing straight.  The size that I have is the A5, but there are also bigger ones available.

Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers

I use markers to add some color to the pages of my bullet journal.  The Tombow markers are really high-quality but affordable, which is fantastic.  This is definitely something that is completely optional, but I love adding some color to my pages.  This is my first time using a product from Tombow, but I don't think I can ever use any other brand.  Here are some things that I love about the markers that I got :

- There is a fine tip for writing as well as a brush tip to make bolder lines.  It's almost like you're getting two products in one!  Both have a precise tip though, so you can do some detailed work or shade things in.

- The colors are really vivid and bright, but don't leak through.  I feel like markers are usually really wet and go through paper. I don't have that problem at all with these!

- There are so many different colors available!  I got the basic colors, but there are so many different theme packs out there - from greyscale to skintones!  I think I need to stock up :)

- The tips are "self cleaning", which basically means if you accidentally go over your black marker with yellow, the tip will clean itself (I just swipe a few times on a plain piece of paper) and it's as good as new!

- I've only been using these for a few months, but they haven't dried out at all yet.  I'll have to see how these wear in the next year, but so far so good!

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen

I've been trying to learn some calligraphy and different writing techniques, so I decided to invest in a pen set.  In this set, you get eight different pens with varying nib sizes.  There's a great mix of sizes in this set and there are even some brush tip markers included.  This is another optional product to use because regular pens work just as well, but there are some things I really love and recommend about this product :

- The ink is so smooth on these pens!  Usually when I'm using an ink pen, there tends to be a lot of skipping (especially when I first use it), but these write so well.

- They are completely water proof.  I haven't actually tested this out with water, but after they dry the ink is smudge proof.  I'm excited to try water color painting using this ink and seeing what kind of art work I can create!

- There is such a great variety of sizes in this kit.  I like to use the smaller sizes for writing in my bullet journal (the S is my favorite).  I'm still working on using the brush tips!

Paper Mate InkJoy

I've had these pens for a while, so I didn't get them specifically for the bullet journal.  I love them so I had to throw in a quick review!  I got a huge pack at Target, and they come with so many different colors that all write really well.  I love using these if I want to write full sentences in a color, and these show up really well and the ink flows out smoothly every time.

Here's a look at how all of the pens write (from left to right- Faber Castell, Tombow, Papermate)

Does anyone else use a journal?

What is your favorite brand of pen?

Do you have any special tools that you like to use in your planner?

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