Honestly that shiny puddle thing gets talked up way too much. A consistent bead is the real win, so congrats on that. That dull look can just be the metal cooling a tiny bit slower or some mill scale in the base metal. Unless the weld is cracking or full of holes, a matte finish really isn't something to lose sleep over. Focus on good fusion and penetration, not how it sparkles. Sometimes it's shiny, sometimes it's not, big deal.

Honestly, I always went straight to pen and got so frustrated. Pencil first sounds way smarter, lets you fix stuff easy.