Paul Rubens HAIYA 72 Colors Oil Pastels

These DO have the linseed oil mess/smell that others have mentioned, but they're OIL pastels so maybe keep them in the fridge if you live in a hot climate. Be prepared to get some oil on your fingers anyway, a paper towel was necessary for me to not get the paper all oily from touching it. For the swatch sheet, I smudged each upwards with my finger and left it heavy on the bottom. In the test doodle I went pretty heavy on the mimikyu costume, particularly the tail. Zero complaints about layering the colors, how well they mix together on the paper (I used Paul Rubens oil pastel paper as well) or the amount of pigment present. A light hand and thin layers built up work well with these and they're soft enough to NEED a light hand. The darker colors seemed to be less oily than the mid and light tones, so the texture was a little different for those and they needed a little more pressure, which you can see in my swatch sheet.

These are wonderful, soft and easy to apply impasto directly to the paper, lovely colors, strongly pigmented, my new favorites. They are oily but that is what makes them so nice to work with, though the sticks are a bit more prone to breakage. I wouldn't hand these out as a first oil pastel to children but for adult artists - "Chef's Kiss"

Ok, ok, ok. Just hear me out. This is a GREAT set if you're first breaking in to oil pastels and you want a wide array of colors that blend well. They're pretty soft and the set of colors is surprisingly pigmented. They take well to a variety of surfaces and are a good buy. That being said, when I first opened this set, oh boy was I hit with a weird smell. By weird, I mean think of the most pungent box of crayons you could find - and leave them out on a playground in a hot day in the middle of the summer. If you're not in a well ventilated room beware, it's pretty irritating after a while. That being said, the box it comes in contains the smell pretty well as long as you keep the foam. Additionally, the pastels have an incredibly oily texture that seems to permeate through the wrapping, making each pastel very slippery and sometimes challenging to grip. That being said they're a dream to work with for this price point compared to some other more expensive brands.

These Paul Ruben’s oil pastels have very vivid hues and are incredibly smooth. They are an excellent value for the price. This set is fantastic for beginners diving into oil pastels, like myself, offering a diverse range of colors that blend seamlessly. The pastels are quite soft, with rich pigmentation across the color range. They work effectively on different surfaces and are a worthwhile purchase. The above cactus photo is a work in progress and I love how bright the colors are!

Super soft!!!! Great for impasto and doing final layers over other firmer oil pastels. This is a great set with some very nice color selections. You’ll need to buy some extra white oil pastels though. Otherwise, these are fantastic oil pastels.

I had done extensive research and read many reviews before ordering this set of oil pastels. while numerous other reviewers mentioned that their set came "dripping with oil"and that the "paper sleeves were saturated with oil", my set had no such issues! no oily smell, not a drop of oil anywhere! the product arrived within three business days of ordering in perfect condition! The pastels themselves are gorgeous in color feel, and texture. they are creamy and buttery and a pleasure to work with. Blending is phenomenal. I also use artecho, arrtx, and lightwish, which in themselves, I found to be pretty fantastic. just my opinion of course. These haiya oil pastels are highly recommended! End trans!

Bought the 72 set due to people saying they were similar to Senneliers, but I’ve found them to be hit or miss depending on the color. Some are quite dry and spread poorly, while others are very creamy and glide smoothly. Wouldn’t really recommend. There is oiliness that seeps through the paper, but nothing you can’t wipe away. The white is excellent, though. I’d buy the set of 6 white oil pastels sticks if you need a nice white.

Wow wow wow. These oil pastels are super buttery and easy to use and blend. I’m no pro but these are amazing for what I wanted to do. They do smear easily but I like that for blending purposes. For the price, I’d say these are a steal.