I have since ordered a few more polishes from Contrary Polish but I have a feeling The Juice Fiend will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

     Hot Orchid is a medium pink metallic polish with a subtle silver shimmery micro glitter. This polish was released in 2012 and I believe was part of the core line. 

    The formula for Hot Orchid has a nice consistency, it applied smoothly and evenly with a nice opacity on the first coat. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat.

      Hot Orchid is a highly pigmented polish but like most metallic polishes suffers from brushstrokes. Thankfully they are minimal and don't distract from the pretty color. You can also avoid the brushstrokes by using the tip I shared in my recent review of the Pastel City Collection from Orly. 

Hi-Tech

     Hi-Tech is a spring green scattered holographic nail polish released in 2012 as part of the 3D Holographic collection. 

     The formula on this is a little thin but applies evenly on the nail. The first coat was a bit on the sheer side but Hi-Tech builds up nicely and full opacity was reached after two coats. Shown here is two coats plus top coat. 

     While this polish doesn't have a strong holographic flash it still packs a pretty punch. While I tend to wear more traditional nail polish colors I actually like this one and can see myself wearing it during the warmer months. 

Hi-Res

     Hi-Res is a lilac purple scattered holographic nail polish. It was also released in 2012 as part of the 3D Holographic collection. 

     Just like Hi-Tech, Hi-Res has a thin formula but even coverage. Once again I had a sheer first coat but nice buildability. Full opacity was reached after two coats. Shown here is two coats plus top coat. 

     This is a bit light for my personal tastes but I still think its a pretty color. I feel like the holographic flash is just a bit stronger in Hi-Res than it is in Hi-tech but still wouldn't consider it a strong flash. 

     After swatching these polishes I noticed how nicely they seemed to flow together and wanted to try them out in a gradient. 

      Because of the thinner formula of the holographic polishes the gradient ended up being very subtle. I used Hi-Tech as my base color which caused Hi-Res to look more silver than purple. 

     Of course, I couldn't stop there, so I added some stamping using the marble paradise 01 plate from Pueen and Straight Up Black from Bundle Monster.

     Straight Up Black is an intense stamping polish! It's a bit thicker than my other stamping polishes and I found that I needed to cover more of the image before scraping to get the image fully covered. The messy pointer finger is because I was impatient when taking photos and smudged it rather than a result if the image plate or polish used. 

     What did you think of my letter H polishes, do you have a favorite? Remember this challenge is open to anyone and everyone so please feel free to join in! Did you review a polish from Heather's Hues this week, feel free to add it to the link up! I'd love to get the word about this challenge out more so others can join. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

     To create this look I reached for the newly released colors from Sinful Color. There are actually 6 different colors here but a few of them were overpowered but the darker shades and didn't really show up.

     The polishes I used are Rave New World, Positive Vibes from the Target LE tri, Sassy Lassie from this year's St. Patrick's collection, Unicorns R Real, Coco Bae and Forbitten Fruit which are core line additions this year. 

     Just like my previous drip marble manicure, I opted to show this one both glossy and matte. I honestly can't decide which look I like better. Although the glossy version is slightly ahead of the matte look for me on this one. 

     Although this look turned out a bit darker than I was expecting I'm still very happy with the results. This technique is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Have you tried this technique yet? Do you like the glossy or matte version better? That's all I've got for you today, now it's tie to unpack and settle in because I have a feeling reality is going to hit hard tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

     There was just something about this color combination that I really liked. This combination was also a bit out of my comfort zone and I'm proud of the fact that I'm starting to branch out a bit. Even if it is just a small amount. More photos of this look can be found in my Nail Art with Orly Darlings of Defiance post. 

     January also saw the start of the Untried A-Z Challenge, another new series for my blog this year that I hope you are all enjoying. I've mixed things up a bit with this challenge and have done some swatches, shown two polishes and shared a bit of nail art. My next favorite look is from the second week of the challenge, Letter B week. 

     This is some of the cleanest, crispest stamping I have ever done and that is the reason I've chosen this as one of my favorites. Not to mention I have a little obsession with geometric nail art right now. I've gotten away from sharing nail art in the latest posts of the Untried A-Z challenge but will be getting back into it as the challenge progresses. Speaking of the Challenge, next week starts letter G week and I'd love to see more people participate. This is a come and go kind of challenge where you can do as many or as few prompts as you like so feel free to join in. Even if you didn't mention the challenge in your post but used a polish with a G in the brand name or polish name add it to the link up! Help me get the word out and let's get through those untried polishes together. 

     February was a short month but I was still able to squeeze in a few different looks and some new techniques. I started out with a technique I'm very comfortable doing and ended with one I've been trying to master for years. This first look was my Groundhog Day prediction manicure which sadly turned out to be wrong and winter is still hanging on.

     I am full on head over heels in love with this look. I love the bold vampy base color, I love that it's got flowers, the contrast between the gold and berry wine is gorgeous and I want to wear this look again. Plus it was so easy to do using the advanced stamping technique. It is my absolute favorite look so far this year. 

    This next look while not quite as pretty as my floral image is one that I am very proud of. For years I've been admiring the needle drag manicures that pop up in my news feed, and have attempted the technique a handful of times with horrific results until now. 

     This was the first look I created for Valentine's Day and my first successful needle drag manicure. I know it's not much but for me finally getting this technique to work was huge! What was the secret to my success? You'll have to read the original post to find out, I'm not giving away all my secrets today. 

      I haven't attempted to do another needle drag yet this year but have a few ideas in mind, plus I'd like to do a full hand look instead of just the accent nail. And I think colors with a bit more contrast will give a more interesting look.

     The beginning of March brought a lot of green nail polishes to my blog for St. Patrick's Day and has ended with some softer shades and we ease into spring. I have to giggle at the "ease into Spring" part because as I'm writing this post they are predicting another 9 inches of snow to fall tonight. Hopefully, it will all be melted when this post goes live. *Fingers crossed*

     

     My first look from March is the drip marble I did for St. Patrick's day. I shared this look is both a glossy and matte version. While I like both looks the matte version won my heart and is my second most favorite look so far this year right behind the Ground Hog day floral. 

     Finishing up my quarterly favorites is the art deco look I shared last week. This was a blogger meet up manicure featuring the reverse stamping technique and my second geometric manicure this year. Did I mention I have a slight obsession with geometric manicures?

    This is the first manicure I can remember doing where I mixed two different techniques on one nail. The first being a smoosh manicure and the second a reverse stamped look. I really like the classy, elegant feel this accent nail has which is why it made it into my top 6 looks this year. mixing two techniques together is a great look and need to remember to do this more often. I know gradient and stamping are commonly mixed together but I have yet to do a manicure like that. Maybe I'll have one in my next quarterly favorites post? 

     I hope you enjoyed this look back at the first 3 months of blog posts.  I hope a few of you decide to join in on the Untired A-Z Challenge, full details can be found at the Facebook Event.  If you decided to recreate any of these looks please share them with me on my Facebook page or tag me on twitter. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing.