Deals

I don't like things that are dirty to handle, and that's definitely the case with this box of pan pastels. After reading the reviews on AliExpress, I thought: let's give it a try. It wasn't a real bargain, but it was listed among the deals. The only advantage was that I got it a few pence cheaper and that it's much cheaper than the branded pan pastels.
The reviews were good, so that's always a plus, as is the high pigment content. When the package arrived, I already had a bad feeling. Everything was covered in brown powder, and when it arrived, I couldn't remember ordering it, let alone what the brown powder was. The plastic bag it came in was torn on all sides, as if a mouse had gnawed on it. I took some photos first and then carefully opened it, and this is what I found inside. The corner was broken, there was a tear in the lid, and the jar for brown was completely empty. Later, I swept up the crumbs and pieces, but even then I couldn't fill a jar, which also gives me pause for thought. There can't be that much in it, and when I think about it, I still have to clean it up and then see if it's usable, so this is actually a waste of money.

After submitting a complaint and sending the photos, I had to wait and see how AliExpress would respond. I've had very bad experiences with them in the past, and complaints were often ignored. In this respect, things have definitely improved. Although I didn't hear anything personally, the money was refunded to my account without further questions. So now I'm stuck with a filthy box that's too dirty to touch. I'm going to see if I can push the brown stuff into the pot with a piece of toilet paper or newspaper and if I can clean the other pastels and the lid, because otherwise it will just get brown again. Who knows, maybe I'll try to figure out what can be done with this and how far I can get. In the meantime, I've finished the fish request and am practising hard on watercolours today. I've never been a big fan of this, but after watching lots of videos, it turns out there are many different techniques and it's certainly not like the watercolours I remember. It's much more like painting with acrylics. And while I'm cleaning up the not-so-great deal, I'm also going to think about what I'm going to do tomorrow in painting class, which is, of course, preparing, because if I have to wait for the teacher, it's mostly drinking coffee and chatting, and I don't really feel like doing that. I still find it a bit strange that everyone does their own little project and no techniques are taught, or maybe I should say that I find that a pity.

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20-1-2026}

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