Metallic Mousse for Highlights and Finishing Effects
This product is part of Part 2 of the Playing with Gels & Pastes series, where I explore the individual gels and pastes included in my experiments.
Tonic Studios Nuvo Embellishment Mousse is a water-based metallic medium designed to add metallic colour and dimensional details to craft projects.
According to the product information, it can be applied with a spatula for a more textured finish or with a soft cloth for a smooth finish. Water can also be added to soften the consistency of the mousse.
I tested Pure Platinum Nuvo Embellishment Mousse as part of my Getting to Know Your Gels & Pastes experiments to explore how this speciality metallic mousse behaves and where it is most useful.
Although it shares some characteristics with other metallic pastes, its soft, creamy consistency makes it particularly useful when I want to add metallic highlights without adding lots of moisture or heavy texture to a project.
Characteristics
Nuvo Embellishment Mousse has a very soft, creamy consistency and is considerably thinner than Finnabair Icing Paste.
It dries opaque with a metallic sheen and has a very smooth finish.
Once dry, it remains flexible, making it particularly suitable for scrapbook pages, altered books and other surfaces that need to bend.
Ways to Use Nuvo Embellishment Mousse
Create Metallic Stencilled Designs
Nuvo Embellishment Mousse also works beautifully through stencils.
Although it is thinner than Icing Paste, it isn’t so liquid that it easily runs underneath the stencil. It holds crisp detail and creates a smooth metallic design.
Create an Ink Resist
Once dry, the mousse creates an excellent ink resist.
This makes it possible to combine metallic designs with blended inks while allowing the metallic areas to remain visible.
Both Distress Ink and Distress Oxide Ink could be blended over the dried mousse.
Paint Over It
Painting over the dried mousse was not particularly successful.
Since its metallic finish is one of its main strengths, this isn’t something I would generally want to do with it anyway.
Use It as an Adhesive
The adhesive experiments produced mixed results.
The mousse successfully adhered the button, but it did not hold the sand.
Its thinner consistency may simply not provide enough body to hold loose textured materials securely.
This isn’t a product I would choose as an everyday adhesive anyway, but the result is useful to know if you’re incorporating embellishments into an area where you’re already using the mousse.
Heat Embossing and Foiling
Nuvo Embellishment Mousse could be used for heat embossing but created small droplet-like embossed effects.
The foiling experiment was not successful.
Again, neither technique is really where I think this product earns its place in the craft room. Its own metallic finish already provides the shine that I generally want when I reach for it.
Tint the Paste
I was able to alter the colour slightly using All Purpose Ink, although the result wasn’t as bright as with many of the other gels and pastes.
The original metallic colour and sheen influence the final result.
Silicone Moulds
I struggled to fill the silicone mould successfully with the soft, thin mousse.
For creating moulded embellishments, I would choose a thicker product such as Icing Paste instead.
My Favourite Uses
Nuvo Embellishment Mousse
- Metallic highlights
- Thin metallic layers
- Scrapbook pages
- Altered book pages
- Stencilling
- Ink resist
- Smooth metallic finishing effects
It can also be used for:
- Some adhesive applications
- Heat embossing
- Tinting
Not my first choice for:
- Silicone moulds
- Foiling
- Adhering loose materials
- Painting over
I would reach for this when: I want to add a smooth metallic highlight or finish to a scrapbook or altered book page without adding lots of moisture or heavy texture.
Explore More
- Getting to Know Your Gels & Pastes
See how I tested the different gels and pastes in my stash and what I wanted to discover. - Ways to Use Gels & Pastes
Explore which gels and pastes worked for stencilling, ink resist, adhesives, moulds, heat embossing, foiling and more. - Icing Paste vs Nuvo Embellishment Mousse
See how Icing Paste and Nuvo Embellishment Mousse compare and when I would choose one over the other.
PLEASE NOTE: All the opinions are my own. None of the products have been sponsored.