Mont Marte Extra Soft Oil Pastels Natural Hues Premium 26pc, Assorted Natural Colors, Vibrant and Buttery, Versatile Art Pastels for Blending, layering & Shading, Ideal for Coloring and Sketching

This is an excellent set of oil pastels. They are soft and creamy and easy to blend. The sticks do not break easily and the colors are rich and vibrant, although this particular set has more neutral colors so the colors are softer and more muted which are absolutely perfect for landscapes. And the price is very reasonable. I just took a shot in the dark ordering the Mont Marte brand and I couldn't be happier. I proceeded to order a larger set of the brighter more vibrant colors as well. You won't be disappointed as long as you order the box that says "Extra Soft". However, if you're looking for oil pastels to lay down an initial layer, then their regular variety will work fine. I have both. The "extra soft" is best for the final and top layers, however I do use them also for the initial layer. No problem at all.

{mixed media in my sketchbook; the ladybug and left leaves were created with these oil pastels}They almost seem too good to be true at this price. I almost didn’t order them because I was skeptical; they were in my cart for weeks. But I finally decided to take the chance, and I’m glad I did.The tradeoff is that they smell like cheap lipstick.The colors are vibrant and they are opaque (except for the neons). When I opened the box, there were a few that were jumbled around in the lower tray. None were broken or missing. They’re so soft that they did smudge each other a bit - but that’s nothing a paper towel can’t fix.These pastels blend like a dream. Did I say that already? It’s worth saying twice. In fact, here’s once more for good measure. They. Blend. Like. A. Dream.Bonus points for the color selection. I have the 120 Mungyo Gallery artist’s extra soft pastels too, and this set of Mont Marte ones fill the color gaps really nicely. Especially in the pastel colors which is great for highlights.Normally I don’t like metallic or pearls, which Mr. Marte must have been aware of, as there are only three in this set. A pearl white, silver, and gold, and the gold is *incredible*.Overall, i think the only thing that rats them out as a lower price brand is the wrapper on the sticks. Some are a bit loose or unevenly pasted. Nothing that affects the art, just a small annoyance.I haven’t looked into lightfastness ratings, which I know is a concern for a few people out there. If you’re a professional artist who sells your work, this is something you might want to test or write an email to them to ask.I’m really glad I decided to buy these pastels. I’m really enjoying them. The lipstick smell does seem to fade over time, or maybe I am becoming blind to it. At any rate: they’re worth it.And in case I failed to mention — they blend like a dream.

Terrific soft oil pastels, good pigment and a nice range of colors, these are a pleasure to work with and really are soft, unlike some other brands that claim to be but aren't. There is a french brand that is maybe 10% better in my estimation but cost 10 times the price. These are very good indeed at a sane price and the packaging is attractive and very functional. It's not cabinetry but holds up very well in use. Getting back into this medium I bought a bunch of different brands and these were right at the top, i will definitely buy again as they get used up.

Really soft and blendable pastels that are nice to work with, colors are vibrant and beautiful

I saw another mixed media artist using these on her YouTube video and I took a chance and orders them. I am so glad I did. I love the colors and they glide onto the page and move around so easily, allowing me create backgrounds and effects. You could also certainly use them to draw with. I love the creaminess of these oil pastels without being overly oily. They aren’t huge sticks, but for my purposes they should last a good while and I felt they were reasonably priced.

This oil pastel set gets high marks for its color range, for the well organized and laid out set, the hefty feel in ones hand, and blending ability and its price. The range of colors makes them good for landscape, and figure and portrait sketching. The downsides are a slightly unpleasant oily smell and the pastels go down in a slick fashion so that while that blending with adjacent colors, is good, layering is not good. Opacity varied a lot. They were not good for small details or sharp edges. I suggest you use a more textured paper if you want to layer with these and use a harder pastel or colored pencils if you want details. I gave them four stars because of the very reasonable price.

A decently smooth oil pastel that I glides on paper. Not fully pigmented. Semi-opaque. Best used for blending instead of layering on top of softer pastels. I use them with Mungyo Gallery oil pastel for blending (which was the original intended purpose I purchased this for).Not as opaque as the Mungyo Gallery white. Pictures attached for size, opacity, and blending capabilities.

These are great quality and blend well. Good if you don’t have the budget for more expensive brands