DIY Gold Leaf Topcoat

So we've all seen these gold leaf top coats that are around at the moment, and cost a small fortune.  I was particularly taken with the OPI one, due entirely to the shiny bottle of course.  Sadly, I didn't actually like the look of the polish at all...and I couldn't even justify to myself getting someone else to spend the money on it for me.

However, when I got these gold and silver foils to review from Born Pretty Store, I thought I'd have a go at making my own top coat.

The set contains six each of gold and silver foils, each sheet in a separate little pot.  All the pots come together in a little plastic box.

To make my top coat I used two sheets.  I just scrunched them up and rubbed them on a nail file, then I put all the little pieces into an almost empty bottle of some old gloopy Seche Vite (I thought the gloopiness might make it more like a suspension base?  No idea if this is true...).  I was worried I wouldn't have enough to do a full manicure, although I don't know why since each sheet is about 5x7 cm, so just one would be enough to entirely cover all of my nails.  Must have been all the Christmas drinking affecting my brain.  Needless to say, there's plenty left.

Anyway, I used two coats of my DIY gold leaf topcoat over Jessica Ruffled Bottoms.

I looooove it.  So so so so much.  I am a total gold leaf top coat convert.  I love the big bits so much, and I like how some of it's so small it almost looks like glitter.  So so pretty.  AND I wore this for over a week and it didn't even chip until the day I took it off.  I think it was all the layers of Seche Vite lol.  Nothing was getting through that.

I did also attempt a manicure with the silver foil, but I made such a bad polish colour choice to go with it that I had to take it off immediately (even my boyfriend said it was diabolical...).  The foil's quite tricky to handle since it's so so thin and delicate.  It's fine for tearing off random bits to put on your nails or stuff like that, but I don't think it'd be suitable for cutting shapes out of (unless you're a lot more patient than me perhaps).  It's great stuff though - I just need another empty bottle now to make a silver foil topcoat!

You can see the gold and silver foils here.  The set of 12 costs $5.53 (about £2.75) and shipping is free, wherever you may be in the world.

Don't forget, if you want to buy these or any of the other products on Born Pretty Store, you can use the discount code LKL91 for 10% off.

What do you think of gold leaf top coats?  Have you bought one, or would you attempt to make your own like I have?