# TLDR Review: Savoir-Faire Sennelier Soft Pastels Set

*Published: 2025-03-29 | Updated: 2025-03-29 | Source: https://shopsavvy.com/reviews-tldr/savoir-faire-sennelier-soft-pastels-set*

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## Product: Savoir-Faire Sennelier Soft Pastels Set
**Brand:** Savoir Faire

## Pros
- Sennelier is a reputable brand favored by professionals and considered ideal for beginners transitioning from less expensive brands.
- The half-stick sets are convenient and prevent issues related to wrappers, offering vibrant and appealing colors.
- Offers a buttery and creamy texture ideal for blending and highlighting, providing exceptional results.
- Includes around 100 different colors suitable for various subjects such as landscapes, still lifes, and portraits.
- Works well for adding vivid, lush colors over underpaintings in the final layers of a painting.
- Highly recommended by professional artists and seminar attendees.
- Delightful variety of colors, especially useful for plein air sessions.
- High quality collection, with smooth and satisfying texture.
- The half-sticks are designed to avoid crumbling, unlike the more fragile full sticks.
- Many users report high satisfaction with their artistic results using this set.

## Cons
- Quality of pastels can be inconsistent, with reports of some being hard, crumbly, and lacking in blendability.
- The larger set may not meet expectations compared to smaller samples, with older brands like Rembrandt considered superior by some.
- Some users find the color arrangement confusing, making it hard to identify specific shades.
- Contains imperfections, such as nearly identical color pairs and unusable hard pastels.
- Some pastels are more fragile and require careful handling, leading to messes.
- The creamy consistency can lead to quicker usage.

## Bottom Line

The Sennelier Soft Pastels Half Stick Set offers a vast array of colors with a creamy, blendable texture appreciated by both professionals and beginners. While some users note inconsistencies and durability issues in certain pastels, the overall quality and vibrant color options make this a standout choice for artists looking to expand their palette. If you've been working with older or different brands like Rembrandt, these might not fully match your expectations, but they still provide a rich, artistic experience.

## Pros vs Cons at a Glance

| Pros | Cons |
|------|------|
| Sennelier is a reputable brand favored by professionals and considered ideal for beginners transitioning from less expensive brands. | Quality of pastels can be inconsistent, with reports of some being hard, crumbly, and lacking in blendability. |
| The half-stick sets are convenient and prevent issues related to wrappers, offering vibrant and appealing colors. | The larger set may not meet expectations compared to smaller samples, with older brands like Rembrandt considered superior by some. |
| Offers a buttery and creamy texture ideal for blending and highlighting, providing exceptional results. | Some users find the color arrangement confusing, making it hard to identify specific shades. |
| Includes around 100 different colors suitable for various subjects such as landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. | Contains imperfections, such as nearly identical color pairs and unusable hard pastels. |
| Works well for adding vivid, lush colors over underpaintings in the final layers of a painting. | Some pastels are more fragile and require careful handling, leading to messes. |
| Highly recommended by professional artists and seminar attendees. | The creamy consistency can lead to quicker usage. |
| Delightful variety of colors, especially useful for plein air sessions. |  |
| High quality collection, with smooth and satisfying texture. |  |
| The half-sticks are designed to avoid crumbling, unlike the more fragile full sticks. |  |
| Many users report high satisfaction with their artistic results using this set. |  |

## Current Prices

| Retailer | Price | Availability |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Kourstore | $59.99  | Check |
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| Michaels - Source | $177.59  | Check |
| Macy's | $221.99  | Check |

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*About this review: We pulled together findings from professional and user reviews, and cross-referenced them with ShopSavvy's pricing data from thousands of retailers to give you the short version.*