I did not start off trying to cover the entire kitchen with gold streaks, sprays, and spatters. I had no plans to buy every shiny dust that caught my eye. I certainly did not expect to fall for an FDA-approved luster dust. (The Non-Toxic Dusts? They are gorgeous! I wanted to make a few gold-dipped pastel Easter Eggs. Is this TOO much to ask?
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It…may not have turned out as I had hoped. I did learn a lot from gold luster dust! Some were good at covering, others weren’t. Some were yellower…and others were almost green. I will NOT judge the type of gold that you prefer…so I created a chart for you to choose yourself!
Each circle is both white and gray to show you how well it covers the different colors. Some golds are great in color but terrible on white…and others are the opposite. If you have a favorite color, please let me know in the comments.
All three non-toxic gold powders I tested had amazing coverage. Barco Gold, which I’d never tried before I found them in the Firefly Edible Design Etsy store, was a surprise for me. The brand is a newcomer to the US market with metallic colors.
The FDA-approved dusts performed very well! I expected that they would all be a pale shadow of SHINY THE THINGS (also known as TMP SUPER GOLD and Rolkem). FDA approval is no longer synonymous with “lame.” Crystal Colors Antique Gold did not have the same thickness as the non-toxic versions but made up for that in color. It’s beautiful! The CK gold dusts were excellent and covered well, but they were a little yellower than I prefer. It’s OK if you like them. You can still be my friend!
I believe that the method of application should be discussed here. You will only get a thin layer of luster dust when you dry brush. When you want to hint at gold without hitting anyone in the face, a dry application will work best.
I made each luster powder the same way. I added water to one scoop of luster and then mixed it until it was a paste. I painted it on the cookies. This is not a mistake. I used WATER. I have always used WATER. I will probably always do. It’s important to use a thick paste that won’t damage the surface of the icing.
I am not familiar with mixing luster powders for an airbrush. Someday, I may, but not today. I can’t tell you how these dusts will work with an airbrush. Both you and I can make guesses, but they are only guesses until the experiment is done.
You won’t get confused if I show you in a video how thick gold dust is. I’m a little spooked by shiny things.
If your dust is not up to the standard of these photos, I have a trick that will bring it up to speed. Watch the video and see what happens!
