The glitter is super rainbow, reactive to light and shiny Shiny SHINY! Would say that the chances of the surface looking a little more scratched and bubbly is indefinite. However to me personally I don't think that takes away from the product. Just something to keep in mind. Also yes, clear parts or semi transparent parts will get lost into the glitter, so you need to make sure to tweak a design to fit that. For example my design had drool, a semi transparent white. I made a darker outline and you can see it with glitter shining through the back. Worked well for me. 

Glitter Vinyl {Semi Transparent layer thoughts}