Luster Dust Question!!!...how To Get Gold Look
Decorating By steffy8 Updated 26 Sep 2007 , 3:11pm by stephanie214
I have used "old gold" colored luster dust mixed with vodka and it worked like a charm. I actually found (by default) that if you apply it to green colored fondant you get a better gold color than on white fondant.
When you are applying it like paint, it will need to be rather thick to work well. I have a picture of bottle caps laying around the base of my Jimmy Buffet cake that I did with this method. If that is what you are looking for, I would be happy to help you more if I can.
I have the perfect answer for you, got this hint from the customer service rep. at Creative Cutters in Canada. Mix 3 parts gold luster dust with 1 part Super Pearl luster dust, thin with alcohol or Everclear and paint it on. The same works for shiny silver or chrome, mix 3 parts Nu Silver luster dust with 1 part Super Pearl Luster dust. Here is a teacup I painted with Albert Uster gold dust but it is expensive because they have a $100.00 minimum order requirement. Mixing the gold and pearl will give you the same effect.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&uname=ShirleyW&cat=0&pos=53
Hard to say exactly how much Everclear I used, it depends on how large an area I need to cover, if it is just for some gold or silver highlights here and there on a cake I would guess just a quarter capful of gold to a large pinch of super pearl. I am speaking of just enough to cover the inside of the cap, not a full capful. I would add the alcohol with an eye dropper a few drops at a time, stir with a coffee stick or tiny paintbrush until it is as thin as unwhipped cream, try it and if it seems too thick or gloppy add a few more drops of alcohol. The nice thing about this mixture is if you don't use it all and it dries up it returns to a flaky consistency and it can be reconstituted with alcohol another time. It just needs to be covered with plastic wrap in a tiny container. Generally what I do is save empty petal dust containers and lids, wash them out and use them to mix colors.
Here is a shoe I did with combining the Nu Silver with Super Pearl luster dusts, if gives a much brighter silver than with Nu Silver alone.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&uname=ShirleyW&cat=0&pos=143
Shirley
Shirley,
Thanks for the tips! Wow, I would have never thought to reuse the luster dust by reconstituting it. I shudder to think of how much I have wasted! I also definitely was adding too much alcohol in the past because mine was a watery consistency and never painted on very well. Thanks for showing me the light! Your Armani shoe, by the way, is outstanding. I tell you, forget Collette and Bronwen . . . we've got our own masters right here at CC. Amazing!
Thanks,
carol
And thank you. 
)
I hope I can do it!!! 
I mix mine with a little lemon emulsion and it works great!
Ok, this is an extention of the chocolate question. I am doing a candy mold topper for a cake at the 1st of December. I want to paint in the colors and was thinking about just using white candy melts in the mold. It's the Marine Corp emblem and I wanted to luster dust the anchor to get it nice and gold. Moydear77, you said dry dust on chocolate....how? What makes it stick? Can I not just paint over the candy melts?
Hey sweetrat...if you don't mind me commenting, I have painted luster dust on chocolate. I used silver several times. (glamour girl bag in my docs is one example). I have mixed it with vodka and made it a very thick consistency and painted it on with a brush.
I have never dry brushed it on, so I am not sure how that would work if you were only doing a specific part of your piece of chocolate like you mentioned.
-Michelle
You can mix powdered colors into melted cocoa butter and paint the areas you want colored first, let them set up a bit and then pour in melted white chocolate. I suppose you could pour in melted dark chocolate as well, I have just not tried doing that.
Ok, this is an extention of the chocolate question. I am doing a candy mold topper for a cake at the 1st of December. I want to paint in the colors and was thinking about just using white candy melts in the mold. It's the Marine Corp emblem and I wanted to luster dust the anchor to get it nice and gold. Moydear77, you said dry dust on chocolate....how? What makes it stick? Can I not just paint over the candy melts?
You can dry brush and wet brush. Wet brushing just takes a lot of coats.
I would fill in the yellow candy melts and then try to paint the emblem. You can also use fondant in the mold and paint the decorations that way also.
WARNING: Really stupid question.
Can you use luster dust to paint on butter cream icing?
A -- NOT a stupid question at all
B -- Absolutely! I would make my buttercream roses and freeze them on a cookie sheet. Then when firm, take them out and dry dust them with luster dust. I have a picture around here someplace of two cakes I've done that to -- I call them my shimmer cakes because they seem to glow. Very pretty! One thing about drydusting the frozen roses (or chilled cake if you prefer), if the brush starts to get gooey then your frosting is getting warm. You want it cool when you dry dust it. Now they have spray luster dusts and for entire cakes I use those.
Good question!!!
If you are going to paint on buttercream, use a really soft brush.
Theresa 
If you are going to paint on buttercream, use a really soft brush.
Theresa
right -- I use a soft sable brush. And don't worry about getting just the right amount on the first time. A little goes a long way and you can always go over it again for a deeper sheen.
Wow, lots of great advice in here! Any preferances on brands of luster dust?
There are brands of luster dust?
Actually, all the ones I have seen look like each other, but they are labeled according to the vendor. I have always thought that the manufacturer labeled the jars for the vendors.
Does have any information about this?
Theresa
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