Dave, try HOK SHIMRIN® KANDY BASE COAT (KBC) ( it has pearls and flake mixed in it & comes in alot of flavors)
It covers in 3-4 coats and still has the depth of a true Tri stage kandy,
If you looked at my slide show , my fire wall is kandy purple shimrin base , I used a HOK black pearl for a base just for the depth, which made it into a tri stage.
You could use just a standard base white , or a silver base first , just to have a nice overall base for the shimrin to pop !