1) How do I paint fondant using gold edible luster dust and also pixie dust?

2) Do I use the same medium for both dusts?

3) I also see there are so many different types of dusts, i.e. luster, pixie, pearl, etc. Are there any major differences?

I've read that you mix the dust with Vodka (the thinner, the lighter the luster) and paint it on. OR you can mix with lemon extract (which i imagine leaves a flavor) i don't know the differences in the lusters.

Alcohol(cheap vodka works fine) allows it to dry faster lemon juice works and does not leave a flavor .You still want to let them dry over night. You purchase Gold luster dust and thin it out to the consistency of watercolor use a brush works best.
2. There are 2 major Petal dust ie pastel to dark matte colors and Luster,ie gold silver pearl (3 to 4 bucks) and then edible glitter(5 or 6 bucks) sometimes called disco ball/pixie (finer glitter) dust.

1) alcohol is the answer! just mix as much as you need, a bit of practice will help you figure it out.
alcohol (as found in extracts as well) dries really quick, so is the best thing to use - anything clear, vodka, gin etc. water doesnt really dry properly. if you colour your fondant yellow, the gold paint will work much better too.

2) i dont know what pixie dust is - presumably just a brand name? if its just glitter, it probably wont paint as well.

3) you get lustre, petal and pearl dusts.
luster - slightly metalic
petal - matt finish
pearl - gives a pearlised finish with a slight colour
then you get glitters and sugars, and different brands, but dust wise, they generally fall under those categories.

Thank you brincess_b. I was wondering what the difference between luster,petal,and pearl dust was. Your answer was very informative and helpful.

Does anyone know what the best and cheapest alternative to using alcohol is?

Public Service Announcement - Lemon Extract, not lemon juice.


Ask me how I realized that reading error!

I use lemon extract instead of alcohol; it dries/evaporates faster than vanilla. (The only lemon extract I have tried for this application is the Wilton brand)

A cheap bottle of vodka or gin is less expensive than lemon extract. Vanilla extract doesn't have a high enough alcohol content and will be brown of course. The alcohol evaporate quickly which is the reason for using it instead of water.

If you are dusting large areas, get a new blush brush from the makeup department and use that. Dab it and swirl it on.

Forgot to mention that you do this dry. Fondant is usually plenty tacky that you don't need to paint it on at all. It will grab that dust on it's own. Large areas, that is.