SENNELIER Cardboard Oil Pastel Set, 48 Count (Pack of 1), Multicolor

I didn't realise these were trial/tester/taster sized (measure about 3.5 x 0.5cm), smaller than an actual lipstick!!! Anyway, that is the only negative, for these are a real eye opener to what real oil pastels are and can do. And I though oil pastels were all the same! I bought a cheap box of Faber Castell pastels (not even as cheap as those raved about Pentel pastels) last year and found them crumbly, difficult or impossible to blend (some are so resistant that once apple, do not move from the surface, resisting any blending, even with solvent/ODM) and plain rancid, kept so long forgotten about in my cupboard. The colour varied too, some were semi transparent (full of binder no doubt), others were super bright and fine, were the texture not so poor. These in comparison, being artist quality, are in all earnest, beautiful to use. They have no smell, are so soft that when I wipe them clean between my fingertips they seem to melt (and indeed do at higher temps), and light strokes are so pigmented, the colour stretches. They are so, so, so easy to blend - with finger, stump and yes, solvent. They layer easily, and being oil pastels you can't be mean with your touch, but several layers only add such depth, form and rich colour. I would say they're softer than lipstick. I also bought the Sennelier transparent oil pastel blender before this set and that enough convinced me to try these pastels for it's texture astounded me (and alas, not included in this set), another great tool for blending and in many cases, better than your finger (I thought I'd be clever and try a plain wax candle, and nope, they don't work the same, if at all, for they are not the same thing: candle wax at RT is hard, the pastel blender is as soft as the pastels themselves in the same conditions.) All the pastels wear out too quickly for my taste but that depends on pressure and how many layers you apply, as does the blender, but they all clean easily with your finger. No crumbling yet (you know, hard bits of hard pastel all over the place that are so hard, that only a lighter will melt), as I've seen. I am dreading having to replace them for the real sized pastels will be costly individually. The selection is wide, from earth shades, a flesh I think, all the primaries and many secondaries, and best of all, a selection of chromatic greys. And may I note, the white is the softest yet, it is so creamy it resembles oil paint. They suggest their own oil pastel paper, but I prefer smoother paper, so that the pastel does not fight with the grain. This way, I don't lose so much pastel to the the paper either. Also, unlike non-professional pastels, they're not permanent, that is, works smudge easily. Keep these away form the kids, they're far too expensive for play.

Worth every penny. I tried cheaper brands and did not get the quality of finish that I wanted so decided to splash out during a sale after some research Sennelier are the best oil pastels, for layering and blending. Prepare to keep them in the fridge during hot spells!

What a delight to use these pastels. Rich, buttery and full of colour. I used every way of blending I could think of including fingers, pencil blend and blending stumps. Whichever way, they blend easily - where I went wrong or ended up with too much pastel I found it easy to scrape off with a knife so I could rework it. I recommend making your own colour chart because the stick colour and actual colour can be quite different. It really helped me match colours - especially for skin tone. I love the idea the pastels needed for portraits are in one box, which I thought was great value, but I soon found I needed additional pastels to bolster the colour range - especially greens. I'm a beginner and while my work will never be a professional standard it benefitted so much from using these - so I highly recommend them to everyone.

Bought as a gift. The recipient loves them.

The way they blend is so smooth!! Not all have a creamy texture though :( the turquoise and some others do, which im so mesmerised with. It’s a whole new experience compared to my $20 ones!! Even the ones who aren’t creamy, they still blend so smoothly! (as u can see with the white and the red) Will most likely buy again. The price is a little high but totally worth it! I am an art student and these are gonna be a lifesaver!! Im really glad i finally found the right pastels. My teacher didn’t give us any good material recommendations so i had to do my research. Extremely glad i finally decided to get them!!

Zero regrets buying this, absolutely beautiful to work with. They feel gorgeous and smooth and look amazing. I'm not a talented artist but with these, it's easy to make something beautiful hahaha I don't paint landscapes but the colours work really well for everything I do, my only wish is that there was a darker purple, but you can't have everything!

Definitely worth the investment. They blend beautifully and can be layered very easily if you leave a bit of time inbetween. Lovely colour array.

I bought these for my daughter for Christmas, she's very happy with them, nice bright colours, good quality.

Excellents pastels à l'huile, la qualité est au RDV.

Llegaron un poco tarde ,por lo demás perfecto,son fantásticas colores intensos con acabado perfectos

Marcan la diferencia.

Anche se non ne ho provati molti di altre marche sono i migliori pastelli a olio in circolazione..io da profano ci ho fatto subito un paio di bei ritratti .

Ottimo pigmento ne ho acquistato subito un' altro set .