Awhile ago someone asked how to simulate real leather look for the interior of their cars, and
The Syndicate replied that he rubbed the side of his nose then rubbed the piece. The oils on your skin create a semigloss sheen very reminscent to leather (and when you think about it, isn't leather just animal skin? what are we covered by? animal skin! [well, human skin but it's all the same

])
That gave me the idea, instead of wasting all that precious skin oil that protects your skin, why not just go straight to the source! I found that some hand lotion or body lotion is perfect for the job, and a small bit can cover a whole lot. Check this pic out, the seat on the
left has a coating of lotion and the seat on the
right is uncoated. Both were painted with a flat paint.