My daughter and I love pretty nails and enjoy the girly time spent together when doing at home manicures. It can get frustrating though when polish smudges, the drying time is long, and I always seem to get a dent or fingerprint in at least one nail no matter how long I let them dry. I also find polish loses its shine quickly and, since I’m a mom which equals dishes, cleaning, and every other household chore under the sun, polish chips and flakes by the end of the first day.
Professional manicures would last longer, but I’m not willing to pay the price and I’m not keen on exposing my tween to all the harsh chemicals that come with a nail salon. We were introduced to Jamberry by Independant consultant Cassandra Alford and loved the results.
Jamberry offers the styles, shine and longevity of a professional Mani without the harsh chemicals. And, because Jamberry is a wrap and not a polish, there is no flaking and no drying time! These solid film wraps have an adhesive backing that is activated by both heat and pressure to stay securely on your nails without harsh chemicals or latex. They are also vegan and gluten free.
It took me roughly 20 minutes to do a full manicure and I was able to do 4 fingers and a thumb tip on both hands using only 3 strips! Since each set contains 18 wrap strips, that will do lots of fingers and toes! They also sell Jamberry Jr wraps designed to fit kids up to roughly 8 years of age, but its worth noting that the largest size on the Jr wraps, meant for a big toe, fit my thumb nail perfectly. Jamberry Jr’s contains 42 strips so that’s huge savings potential and how cute are matching Mommy & Me nails?
The application process is relatively simple, but I do recommend following the instructions precisely to get maximum wear out of your wraps which can last from a few days to up to 2 weeks on fingers and 2-4 weeks on toes.
To apply:
- Push back cuticles and clean unpolished nails with rubbing alcohol. This will remove any oils as well as kill bacteria that you do not want to trap. If your nails are quite rigged, do a quick buff before cleaning.
- Match finger or toe nail to a wrap that is slightly smaller than your nail. The nail wrap should not touch skin/cuticle to ensure a good seal. If necessary, trim the wrap to get the correct shape and cut down to the correct length.
- Peel off wrap using an orange stick or scissors as using your fingers could transfer oils, and hold wrap to a heat source like a blow dryer. Jamberry sells mini heaters, but Tara also tipped me off that the toaster works great too!
- When warm and flexible, apply wrap to nail being careful to avoid any skin. Apply firm pressure to all of the nail and push sides down gently to seal. A good tip is to then wrap your nail tightly in plastic wrap and heat treat it again, then using pressure with the bag still on to smooth out any bubbles or loose edges.
- Trim any excess off the tip with scissors and use a nail file in a downward motion over the top of the nail to file away remaining bit and smooth the tips.
- Apply heat and pressure again paying attention to the tips as well.
- If you are really active or do a lot of typing, they suggest adding a very thin strip of nail glue to the tips (Tara types 130WPM, she definitely recommends this!)
Removal is really easy too! If worn than less than 10 days it should be as simple as heating up the nail wrap and sliding it off the nail, then using nail polish remover to remove any remaining adhesive. For wraps that have been worn longer, soak in nail polish remover for 30 seconds and they should slide off.
I love that my daughter and I can now wear all sorts of cute designs at a fraction of professional prices, but with a professional look. And the frustration of smudges and inevitable cleaning of polish off skin is a thing of the past.
Jamberry has literally hundreds of designs to choose from in a variety of looks. Whether you like solid or classic, whimsical or punk or anything in between, expressing your personality with your nails has never been easier or more fun.
Make sure to connect with Cassandra for any Jamberry questions or orders on her facebook page, or website.
Want to WIN?? We have a prize pack to giveaway!
One lucky winner is going to receive a prize pack worth over $70, including;
- French Tip Bows adult set
- Little Mo Mo junior wrap
- Jamberry Mini Heater
- Jamberry application kit
