Hello lovelies,

How are you all? I'm slowly recovering from the New Year's celebrations and the shock of going back to work and pondering about whole last year lol. It feels like 2015 flew so fast and I didn't do much in terms of my blog. Today I'd just like to look back and recap last year, show you my favourite projects and products and also talk about some fails.

Favourite products

Anything Bliss Kiss! Bliss Kiss products have been in my favourites since I tried Bliss Kiss Simply Pure Nail Oil for the first time and since then Ana and Bliss Kiss team have developed and added new products and I loved those as much. Every time someone asks me for a recommendation on cuticle oil, this is my go-to brand!

It was also year of latex barriers for easing up the clean up and Bliss Kiss scored again with their Simply Peel which I love to use and love the mixed in glitter. They've also added a dropper bottle to their offer so you can choose to work with brush or dropper. Or you can use the dropper bottle to refill your regular Simply Peel with brush!

ILNP everything! ILNP (I Love Nail Polish) is one of my favourite indie brands ever and 2015 was a great year full of multichrome flakies, precious metals and vibrant multichromes. I'm currently waiting for my order from Winter and Holiday collections and can't wait!

This next favourite is not nail-related but I only feature products that I love and want to spread the word about. Well, Voloom is a revolutionary product for me. Voloom is a hair volumizing iron! I never thought I could get some volume in my hair but this year somebody finally created the perfect product for me. I'm still loving Voloom and I can recommend it :) You can read the full review here.

I also got two great nail art books this year. I've already reviewed the first one called Nail It! written by the one and only Sophie Harris-Greenslade aka The Illustrated Nail. I absolutely loved this book which is packed-full of amazing nail art tutorials, tips and tricks. I'm sure it will be an inspiration in 2016 too.

The second book I got is called Pretty Hands and Sweet Feet and it features great bloggers like The Nailasaurus, Wondrously Polished, Nailed It, Chalkboard Nails and Penelope Yee (@jovialweaver). I haven't reviewed it yet but it's a lovely nail art book with tutorials from popular bloggers and I'm glad I own it.

When picking some polishes and collections that stand out for me last year, I knew it had to be A England To Emily Bronte collection. I loved the colours and buttery formulas so much I gave each polish their own post! Can't wait what A England brings in 2016!

Last year has also seen a mini revolution in peel-off base coats. Most brands started with glue-based peel-off base coats (SpaRitual, OPI...) but there were also some clear and truly great peel-off base coats like the Unt. I've also included Magic Peel from S'N'B because it is very similar to Unt and so far it works great for me as well. Honestly, I can't imagine life without peel-off base coats and latex barriers now...

Pictured: OPI Glitter Off, UNT Ready For Takeoff, SpaRitual Unveil, S'N'B Magic Peel Off Base.

..yes, latex barriers are next on my list! I've been mostly using Bliss Kiss Simply Peel and Bundle Monster Poli-Peel latex barriers and so far they've worked a treat! I'm never going back to stamped fingers and lengthy acetone clean up.

Favourite nail art trend

The shattered glass nails trend has been undisputedly the biggest trend of the year and I completely fell in love with it! It is by far my favourite nail trend of 2015 and it probably will be a big part of 2016 too. You can check out my posts and tutorials of Pink shattered glass nails, Rainbow opal nails and Gel polish shattered glass nails. What do you think of this nail art? Do you like it as much as I do?

Personal highlights of the year

One of the most memorable collaborations of last year was the one with The Body Shop. First I was one of their manicurists at London Fashion Week treatment area (full report here) and then we filmed two nail art tutorials with their nail polish range. It was so much fun! The first tutorial was Pink Galaxy Nails and the second one was a fun half-moon dotticure.

However, the single biggest event of the year was my wedding! It completely took over 2015 and took quite a bit of my free time usually dedicated to blogging. I'm glad it was quite a success, especially my hand-made bridal bouquet I made and all the decorations, despite the 40 degree heatwave! You can find my full wedding post here.

Fails of the year

Yes, I'm not perfect lol! There are few things I failed at last year and this category is a reminder and a list of things I'd like to improve next year.

• I've never tried a mani-bomb! Mani-bombs were a big hit last year yet I failed to try one. Tell me - should I bother? Why do you love using mani-bombs?
• Lucy's Stash PRO - I count this as a fail because with the wedding and all I didn't have any time at all to update it and I'm considering pausing work on this site until I do nails professionally. Meanwhile I can show you anything with gel polishes on Lucy's Stash, right? What is your view on this?
• I failed to update my Tutorials page. I've done quite a few tutorials in the past year or two but I haven't had time to update and modernize the Tutorial page. I'd really like it to be really great page but I struggle to do it design-wise and don't have the time. Quite frankly, I need help with this! Boo :(
• Poor time management and disorganisation - when it comes to my blog, I totally sucked at being organised, keep email replies up to date, brands updated etc. I need to change that and I hope I'll manage!

So that's kind of my summary of last year - would you like to see my favourite nail art manicures of 2015?

Have a lovely day! Lucie x

*PR sample

Hello lovelies,

Sometimes, but not very often, there is a truly great beauty product or tool that I simply must try and even though it's not from the nail polish world I still think you should know about it too. I am talking about VOLOOM, volumizing iron! Since the first time I saw it on Facebook I knew that is exactly what I need. I've been living with long, heavy and flat hair my whole life and no matter what I tried I could never achieve a lasting volume. The problem was that I live in the UK and VOLOOM ships to US & Canada only. So I've decided to reach out to VOLOOM directly and ask if they would like for me to do a review for them. Want to know if and how it really works? Then keep reading...

For those of you who haven't seen VOLOOM before, it is a hair volumizing iron that is designed to add volume to the hair and it promises great results. I couldn't write it better than it is on their website so here is more info:

"The secret to VOLOOM is in the patent-pending plates. Used in the under-layers of hair, VOLOOM creates hidden volumizing structure – or “volume pockets” – that lift the top layers up and away from the scalp. By lifting and separating individual hairs, VOLOOM creates that sexy mane of hair you’ve always wanted.

VOLOOM is actually healthier for your hair than your regular routine. Here’s why: VOLOOM is designed to be used only on the hair near the scalp that is rich in natural protective oils – your own natural heat protection. Unlike other hot tools, it is never pulled through the hair or used on the ends of hair most prone to damage. Plus, VOLOOM has protective ceramic-coated plates, as well as ionic technology that helps seal the hair cuticle and protect it from damage."

VOLOOM iron came in a branded box with many before and after photos on the back, foil-lined pouch for safe storage & travel, handy hair brush and three hair clips. I would just like to point out for those in the UK that the power cord has US end so you'll need a converter for that.

What surprised me straight away was the quality of the iron. It is heavy, well-made and it's mostly made of metal, none of that shoddy plastic casing that most of my hair tools have. It has ON/OFF button with a temperature display and +/- options to change the temperature as required. It also has a lock/unlock switch so you can keep the iron safely closed. The 'magical' plates that make the volume happen almost look like a 'waffle' pattern and they fit snuggly into each other which I've tried to show in the following GIF. The iron creates that 'waffle' pattern on the hair which makes them voluminous. I found it heats up very fast and when used properly (short clamps), it doesn't damage my hair and most of the volume lasts the second day as well.

Now about the accessories - the black pouch is lined with what looks like aluminium lining and has a pocket which I use to store my iron in. Then there is the teasing brush with a pointed handle for easy hair separation. The bristles are very hard and ideal for light teasing if you want even bigger hair. Last but not least - VOLOOM comes with three very peculiar-looking hair clips. They look like none others I've tried and they hold better too! The last part of the clip is moveable and with waved edges for better grip.

How to use VOLOOM:

Before you start, make sure your hair is dry. VOLOOM is not supposed to be used on wet or damp hair, the heat could damage it. It is good to use a heat protecting spray but let the hair dry or quickly dry it with a hairdryer.

1. Brush your hair and get rid of tangles. Then part the hair where you want the parting to be (I've tried two different partings in the photos below).
2. Start on one side of the parting and using the pointy end of the brush, section off thicker layer of your upper hair. This layer will later cover the texturized hair so make sure it's thick enough (it might take few tries to get the right amount of hair). Flip it over the original parting and secure it with the hair clip.
3. Section off a thin layer of hair except 2-3 cm in the front (near the face) and clamp the hair near the scalp with VOLOOM iron for 1-2 seconds. You can repeat this once or twice more towards the ends of hair. More 'clamps' you the more volume overall there will be but if you want the volume just at the roots then do it once. DO NOT slide the iron in your hair, only clamp and release.
4. Flip the freshly volumised hair over the parting and repeat the same process as many times as you'd like. Once you're happy with the number of layers you've done flip the hair back and cover the crimped hair with the top, untreated layer.
5. Repeat the same process on the other side of the parting

If you're a better visual learner, HERE is video you can watch.

Temperature settings recommended:

• Fine, damaged, or chemically treated hair: 320-350F
• Normal hair, medium, healthy hair: 350-370F
• Thick, coarse or curly hair: 370-390F
   

OK, this is finally the time when I'll show you myself and how VOLOOM worked for me...

TADAAAAH! What a difference! To me this is a massive improvement that took like 10 minutes to achieve with no hair sprays or mousse. I could create even bigger volume if I wanted to by doing thinner layers, lightly teasing he hair etc. but this was enough for everyday wear. I am so happy VOLOOM agreed on a review because now I will have the perfect volume in my hair for my holiday (and wedding)! I will definitely be trying it together with my curling wand and see if I can finally have some enviable hair style.

Final thoughts:

For me, this is a life saver for my hair and I'm not joking here. I have wanted something like this for years because I am just sick and tired of my flat hair. Even though this product has been sent to me, after trying VOLOOM few times now I swear to you, I would buy a new one without hesitation if this one broke. I love the quality and all the thoughtful features and extra accessories and most importantly - the volume it gives me that lasts not only whole day but the next day as well. The hair is not as big as the first day but there is still considerable volume. For me, this is definitely worth investing into but of course, make up your own mind!

VOLOOM Hair Volumizing Iron is available at their website for $129.99 (free shipping). You can also find them on Facebook. I hope VOLOOM will soon expand to Europe and other continents so all the other women like me can get this product easily. Consider yourself lucky, US & Canadian ladies ;)

Next post will be about nails again so stop by soon! Lucie x

*PR sample