Too bad we can't just buff them till they shine, lol.Now you have put something in my mind! I went through a quick search and couldn't find anything concerning buffing of royal icing - did anybody try this? I imagine it could work. When sugar is slightly heated, it gets very shiny. And using a soft cloth and very fast movement might heat the sugar in the icing the tiniest bit and therefore create a sheen. At least in my theory, and only on flat and very smooth icing... hm... I think I'll try it one of these days and give report.
Just a few days ago I was practicing cursive on a cookie, messed up, so I wiped it straight off with a damp cloth. The next day the cookie had a shiny streak. Of course, that didn't look very pretty, but I think there's something to the idea of a buffer effect. Maybe wiping in a circular motion, getting the entire cookie instead of one place may be effective. Idk, just brainstorming. I was working with solid black cookies. I couldn't imagine this would work on anything but a solid color or else you'll smudge the design!