This alis coat was applied over the brown coat of plaster. This is a variation from painting the alis after doing three coats of plaster (scratch, brown, and finish). After a bit of tweaking, the results were beautiful.
Alis clay paint is made up of clay, aggregate, and water. Pigments, such as powdered minerals or oxides, can be added for colour.
This photo shows the contrast between the smooth alis clay paint and the texture of the coloured earthen plaster. The powdered mica in this alis gives it a shiny finish, whereas the earthen plaster is a matte finish with texturing from the trowel application.
The shine in this alis coat is achieved by adding mica to the mixture instead of silica sand as the aggregate. The mica reflects light, and different sizes of mica in the alis paint will give different results.