So I'm DEFINITELY going with the gold-leaf paint, it retains the surface finish really well and it much easier to work with than the gold leaf, if you need an idea of the difference, in the picture below I probably spent 4 hours leafing the case on the left. The right took me about 2 hours, but that was simply because I put 3 coats of paint and then 3 coats of sealant to lock in the flavor.

I used Krylon 18k Gold-Leaf spray paint, and Krylon Sealant. I also picked up a can of the Krylon Green Glow-in-the-Dark, I guess I'll have to add "Glow-in-the-Dark" to the list!

I could add UV LEDs to the inside, and then the glow would be actively charged while the robot is running :D! They also have a florescent spray which would glow blue/purple under a UV LED.