Staedtler gel crayons

Staedtler Gel Crayons, £9.25 for six. Not cheap, but worth it.

I knew I was a grown up when I realised that I could buy my very own box of Caran d'Ache felt tip pens. When I was a child, the number of coloured pencils/markers you had were currency. She who had a whole box of them was top of the heap and you could pick your best friend. And Caran d'Ache was the very best you could get. I of course, never had a full set, just a disparate bunch of felt tip pens that I'd accumulated along the way (don't feel too sorry for me, I had home made pizza every Friday night). I was about 25 before I realised I could buy my very own box of crayons/markers/pencils. And I did. I still don't let anyone else use them.

I must point out here that I hate cheap crayons and felt tip pens and coloured pencils that hardly make a mark on the paper. 

The other day I got sent a package from John Lewis*. In amongst other colouring sticks - retractable coloured pencils, wax crayons - were these gel crayons. They are brilliant. There's only six, so no shades of anything, but they are thick, so easy to use (the mark of good colouring stuff, the colours are rich cos they use good pigments), slightly glittery, but don't go expecting disco balls. They're not like normal crayons, but look almost like a fat lipstick. True to greedy form, I got them and when the children said "ooh who are they for?" I said, without hesitation: "Me."




*If you think because I got sent them this is why I'm writing about them, think again. I get sent all sorts of crazy shit and I never write about it. I just don't do that. No-one tells me what to recommend. But these are great.