BRIGHTENING UP MUTED GOLD: SPRAY PAINT OR RUB 'N BUFF?

I recently had a few gold-ish pieces that I wanted to brighten up, so I thought I'd share my process with you.  First up, these pinecone lamps.  I've had them for several years and they're still a favorite, but they were starting to seem a little blah...too dark.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to use spray paint, which I knew would give a more solid, uniform look, or Rub 'n Buff (R&B), which would leave some variation in the color.  I started with the R&B, because I could always spray later if it wasn't the look I wanted.

Here's how it turned out:

I did like the little bit of variation, but it wasn't brightening it up as much as I wanted it to.  So, I opted to spray them after all (Rustoleum Metallic Gold).  I've fallen in love with these lamps all over again!

I've also had an eye on my peacock mirror (from Pier One a few years ago) for a while...the gold finish was beginning to seem a bit Old World to me, and I wanted to freshen it up too.  However, I knew on this piece that I did NOT want it to have a flat, solid, spray painted look, and that R&B would be the way to go.

Here's my tip, which I think I shared before with my kitchen chalkboard calendar, but it's worth repeating.  On heavily textured surfaces, I like to use an old toothbrush to apply the R&B.  Just the tiniest amount on the brush will spread over a good area before you need to apply more.

Here you can see the difference in the gold tones (I was using "Gold Leaf" R&B this time):

And here's a sneak peek of it all finished up (and I just noticed looking at the photo a few spots I need to touch up!):

I'll show you all of it a little later when I share my summer tour.

So, it's really a personal preference and depends on the look you're going for as to which is better.  Do you prefer one over the other?