Which Metallic Medium Should You Use?
This comparison is part of Part 4 of the Playing with Gels & Pastes series, where I compare similar products and explore when I would choose one over another.
Not every paste is designed to create lots of texture. Some speciality products are designed to add beautiful metallic finishing touches to our projects.
As part of my Getting to Know Your Gels & Pastes experiments, I tested two very different metallic products:
- Prima Marketing Finnabair Icing Paste in Rose Gold
- Tonic Studios Nuvo Embellishment Mousse in Pure Platinum
At first glance, they seem to do much the same job. Both add a beautiful metallic finish, both work through stencils and both can add dimension.
Once I started experimenting with them, however, their different consistencies gave each product its own strengths.
What Do Icing Paste and Nuvo Embellishment Mousse Have in Common?
Both products:
- dry opaque with a beautiful metallic sheen
- have a smooth finish
- remain flexible once dry
- work beautifully through stencils
- hold crisp stencil detail
- create excellent ink resist effects
- can be tinted to alter their colour
Neither product was particularly successful when I tried painting over it. But considering that their beautiful metallic finish is one of the main reasons for using them, painting over that finish isn’t something I would generally want to do anyway.
The biggest difference between these two products is their consistency, and this affects where I would choose to use each one.
When Should You Use Icing Paste?
Finnabair Icing Paste has a thicker, creamy consistency.
It still spreads smoothly, but it has enough body to build dimension and hold the shape of a stencilled design beautifully.
This makes it my preferred choice when I want the metallic product itself to become a more dimensional part of the project.
Icing Paste in Silicone Moulds
This was one area where the thicker consistency made a big difference.
Icing Paste produced a beautiful moulded embellishment in my silicone mould experiment. The Nuvo Mousse was much more difficult to use in the mould because of its softer consistency.
If I wanted to create a metallic moulded embellishment, I would definitely choose the Icing Paste.
Adhesive, Heat Embossing and Foiling
Icing Paste also performed surprisingly well as an adhesive. It successfully held both the button and the sand.
It worked for heat embossing too, creating little droplet-like embossed effects, and foil adhered successfully to the paste.
As with the other speciality products I’ve tested, though, this doesn’t mean I would reach for Icing Paste simply because I need some glue or something to hold embossing powder!
These abilities are more useful when I’m already using Icing Paste in a project and want to incorporate another element or technique into the metallic area.
I would choose Icing Paste for:
- dimensional metallic effects
- raised stencilled designs
- crisp stencil detail
- silicone moulds
- ink resist
- projects where I want the metallic medium to add both colour and dimension
When Should You Use Nuvo Embellishment Mousse?
Nuvo Embellishment Mousse has a much softer, creamier consistency and is thinner than the Icing Paste.
This makes it very easy to spread in thin layers.
I particularly like using Nuvo Mousse on my scrapbook pages and altered books because I can add metallic highlights without introducing lots of moisture that could cause the paper to wrinkle.
Rather than always using it to create lots of dimension, I often use it simply to add a beautiful metallic finishing touch.
Stencilling with Nuvo Mousse
Despite its softer consistency, the Nuvo Mousse worked beautifully through a stencil and held the detail very well.
So you don’t necessarily need the thicker Icing Paste just because you want to stencil.
The choice comes down more to the effect you want: more body and dimension from the Icing Paste, or a smoother, lighter metallic application from the Mousse.
Adhesive, Heat Embossing and Foiling
The Nuvo Mousse successfully adhered the button but didn’t hold the loose sand. Its thinner consistency may simply not have provided enough body to hold the sand securely.
It could also be used for heat embossing, producing the same little droplet-like effects I saw with Icing Paste.
Foiling, however, wasn’t successful with the Nuvo Mousse.
Again, these aren’t the main reasons I would choose this product. Its real strength for me is how easily I can add a metallic finish to a project.
I would choose Nuvo Embellishment Mousse for:
- metallic highlights
- scrapbook pages
- altered book pages
- thin metallic applications
- smooth finishing effects
- stencilling
- ink resist
- projects where I don’t want to add lots of moisture
Icing Paste vs Nuvo Embellishment Mousse at a Glance
| Properties | Finnabair Icing Paste | Nuvo Embellishment Mousse |
| Consistency | Thick and creamy | Soft and creamy |
| Finish | Metallic | Metallic |
| Flexible | Yes | Yes |
| Stencilling | Excellent | Excellent |
| Ink resist | Excellent | Excellent |
| Silicone moulds | Excellent | Couldn’t test |
| Adhesive | Good | Mixed |
| Heat embossing | Yes | Yes |
| Foiling | Yes | Not successful |
| Tinting | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Metallic dimension | Metallic highlights and finishing |
So, Which Metallic Product Should You Reach For?
For me, it comes down to what I want the metallic product to contribute to the project.
If I want dimension, a raised metallic stencil design or a moulded embellishment, I would reach for Finnabair Icing Paste.
If I want easy metallic highlights or a thin metallic finish on a scrapbook page or altered book, I would reach for Nuvo Embellishment Mousse.
Both are speciality products, and I don’t consider either an everyday essential. But if you already have one of them in your stash, understanding its properties can help you get far more use from it.
And if you only have one? Before buying the other, experiment with what you already own. You may discover that it can create the effect you need after all.
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. - Finnabair Icing Paste
- Nuvo Embellishment Mousse
PLEASE NOTE: All the opinions are my own. None of the products have been sponsored.