It was started in Nov 2011, and I resumed it in late February 2012 after listing all the vintage goodies... because once I start painting, the desk is fully occupied. EVENTUALLY I'll get to it.
I tried out matte varnish for the first time. There's this debate on whether I should use gloss or matte varnish, but I wanted a more muted tone since the colours are already dizzying... so matte it is. The shadows are less intense after varnishing. The base coat is a gloss, to preserve the colour, and the second and third coat is matte. Like the feel of it (not sticky).
Matte varnish cuts out the glare from light sources but eats up colour since wax is added to the varnish to reduce reflection. Gloss varnish makes the colours pop but light glare affects the visual aspect. I have a mix of both varnish which is midway, but it still has some glare so the debate continues.