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ShirleyW
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 23, 2006
Posts: 11493
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, Concord, California
Birthday: Apr 06
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 Posted:
Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:17 am |
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Nearly every day on the forum someone asks what the difference is in petal dust, luster dust and highlight dust. How they are used and where to find them
They can be found on line at many different sources and some difference in price. You have to shop around. They are carried by most companies that carry gumpaste supplies. Nicholas Lodge, Scott Woolley, Winbecklers etc.
The dusts are considered Non Toxic but not a food additive, I tell people not to eat the flowers. They may be made of edible gumpaste but because of the dust colors I don't recommend eating them. Most flower petals contain floral wire too, so another reason for not eating them
Petal dusts are matte colors, not shiny. They can be brushed onto the dried gumpaste with artist brushes. If you want deeper colors you can thin them with alcohol, lemon extract, something with an alcohol base dries faster and paint them onto the dried gumpaste. You can also dust with dry petal dust and then hold your finished flower over a pan of steaming water to set the color so it doesn't flake off on your icing. It also darkens the color a bit and adds a sheen. Let the flowers dry after steaming and be careful not to touch the colored areas because it will remove the color and leave white spots in the petal.
Luster dusts are a shiny, metallic looking dust that can be brushed on dry to add some color and sparkle, to get a deep, shiny pearl or gold you mix them with alcohol and paint them onto the dried gumpaste. They can also be thinned with alcohol and used in an airbrush to spray the color onto gumpaste. The mixture wants to separate, so you need to stir it from time to time. Clean your airbrush thoroughly after spraying so the luster dust doesn't clog the airbrush parts.
Highlighter dusts have sparkle and can be brushed on dry over white or even colored dried gumpaste. It will add sparkle without changing the color too much. You can also add alcohol and paint them on, but they won't have the intensity of luster dusts.
missyek posted the following on Disco/Pixie Dusts
Disco and Pixie dusts are the same thing. They are non-toxic just like the luster dusts. They are VERY sparkly and are pretty much like real glitter--but have a finer texture. You can sprinkle tem on BC iced cakes--or one trick that I do now that someone here on CC mentioned is to take a bit in the palm of your hand and gently blow the dust across the cake for full coverage. I like to use them on my BC roses and other flowers too. I have also mixed them with vodka and painted on gumpaste (my tiara in my photos). I have also mixed them with luster dust to paint on as well. Pretty much I will put pixie dust on anything I can.  |
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karateka
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: May 16, 2006
Posts: 2402
Location: West Chester, OH
Birthday: Dec 03
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Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:01 am |
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Hey, thanks! That's really helpful.  |
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ShirleyW
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 23, 2006
Posts: 11493
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, Concord, California
Birthday: Apr 06
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Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:28 am |
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Good, I'm glad it helped. |
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Zmama
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Apr 06, 2006
Posts: 1992
Location: Wisconsin
Birthday: Jun 15
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Sun Dec 03, 2006 1:41 pm |
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Thanks, Shirley!
And as for Wilton dusts, FORGET IT! They are edible glitter, not nearly the same as these. |
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nglez09
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Nov 04, 2006
Posts: 2594
Location: Berkeley
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Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:11 pm |
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Do any of you find anyuse for the Wilton shimmer dusts? The only use I remember was for some flower in Course III, is that right? |
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missyek
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Feb 21, 2005
Posts: 1871
Location: Rochester, NY
Birthday: Feb 25
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Mon Dec 18, 2006 2:27 pm |
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| nglez09 wrote: | | Do any of you find anyuse for the Wilton shimmer dusts? The only use I remember was for some flower in Course III, is that right? |
Not really anymore. Once you get your hands on luster dust and pixie/disco dusts, there is no going back to Wilton shimmer dust or cake sparkles! |
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ShirleyW
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 23, 2006
Posts: 11493
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, Concord, California
Birthday: Apr 06
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:58 am |
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Stephanie PMed and asked if I would add on to this thread regarding Disco and Pixie Dusts. I have not used Pixie dust and have only used Disco dust once. On the gumpaste shoes, when dried I sprayed the black shoe with edible lacquer, waited for it to become tacky and then sprinkled it with black disco dust and shook off the excess. I have not used it on anything edible and don't know enough about it to say if it is considered edible or non toxic. |
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JanH
Moderator
Joined: Mar 09, 2006
Posts: 12050
Location: Rapid City, SD
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:26 am |
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Great job! Thanks so much  |
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doescakestoo
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Jul 05, 2006
Posts: 1153
Location: Oklahoma
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:36 am |
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missyek
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Feb 21, 2005
Posts: 1871
Location: Rochester, NY
Birthday: Feb 25
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:01 pm |
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| ShirleyW wrote: | | Stephanie PMed and asked if I would add on to this thread regarding Disco and Pixie Dusts. I have not used Pixie dust and have only used Disco dust once. On the gumpaste shoes, when dried I sprayed the black shoe with edible lacquer, waited for it to become tacky and then sprinkled it with black disco dust and shook off the excess. I have not used it on anything edible and don't know enough about it to say if it is considered edible or non toxic. |
Disco and Pixie dusts are the same thing. They are non-toxic just like the luster dusts. They are VERY sparkly and are pretty much like real glitter--but have a finer texture. You can sprinkle tem on BC iced cakes--or one trick that I do now that someone here on CC mentioned is to take a bit in the palm of your hand and gently blow the dust across the cake for full coverage. I like to use them on my BC roses and other flowers too. I have also mixed them with vodka and painted on gumpaste (my tiara in my photos). I have also mixed them with luster dust to paint on as well. Pretty much I will put pixie dust on anything I can. |
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ShirleyW
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 23, 2006
Posts: 11493
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, Concord, California
Birthday: Apr 06
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:11 pm |
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Thanks Missy. I could have looked up information on the Disco and Pixie dusts, but would rather it came from someone who has actually used them. |
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itsmylife
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 22, 2006
Posts: 457
Location: The Sunshine State
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:23 pm |
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I hope this doesn't sound dumb.....can either the luster or highlighter dusts be used on fondant or buttercream (vs just gumpaste)?
I have a wedding cake to do next month and the bride would like fondant covered cakes with bc scrolls...... then she was asking if there was a way to add some silver color to the scrolls. So... I was thinking of this dust, but I've never used it before.
Thanx you!
Denise |
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ShirleyW
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Sep 23, 2006
Posts: 11493
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, Concord, California
Birthday: Apr 06
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 2:30 pm |
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I honestly haven't tried highlighting buttercream decorations with luster dust. But if the buttercream designs are chilled firm and the luster dust is mixed to a fairly thin consistency and applied with a soft artists paintbrush it would probably work. Try it on some design in the back of the cake first to see how it goes. |
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stephanie214
Moderator
Joined: Oct 06, 2004
Posts: 3806
Location: Virginia;
Birthday: May 15
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 4:56 pm |
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missyek
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Feb 21, 2005
Posts: 1871
Location: Rochester, NY
Birthday: Feb 25
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Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:38 pm |
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. They are very pretty but I can't believe the big difference in price 
...the regular Disco is $3.99 each.
