Hello, friends! It's been a little while since I've done a good product review for you, and this is one that I hope you will find helpful. Whether you are a Jamberry beginner (like me) or a pro, I've got some insights, tips, and tricks to share with you.
I recently bought a set of
Jamberry Nail Wraps for the very first time to support a friend of mine who was hosting an online Jamberry Party. Though I had heard of the company and seen their wraps before, I had never actually tried this product until now. And I will admit that I was a little skeptical at first. The instructions seemed really easy (almost too easy) and people online were claiming that it took them as little as 10 minutes to apply a full manicure that would end up lasting two weeks or more. Hmmm, I couldn't imagine.
I mean, I have found a wonderful lady to do my nails in the past year or so, and she applies a perfect gel manicure in 30 minutes flat for $25. That manicure always lasts me about 2-3 weeks. And until now I couldn't picture anything faster or more affordable for a manicure that would last that long. So after reading many reviews and researching the product itself, I bit the bullet and gave it a try myself. But honestly, even the online reviews I read (and there were many) had me wondering whether they were legit or just people trying to boost their own sales. You just never know. So before I begin, let me first say that I am in no way being compensated for my review in dollars or in products. The Jamberry wraps that I used were ones that I purchased myself at full retail price. I am just a regular person who was interested in trying a new product and sharing my findings with you. So here we go.
To begin, if you read the story of how this company was launched, you will find that it was in fact started by three sisters (sound familiar, anyone?). My curiosity was instantly piqued. They decided that salon manicures were far too pricey, time consuming, and limiting of their color and pattern choices, so they took action and ended up developing Jamberry Nail Wraps. Incidentally, they have been around since late 2010.
If you take a look at their
online catalog, you will see what I mean by choices. There are a slew of colors, patterns, designs, and everything in between to mix and match. Whew wee, the selections almost made me dizzy so I opted for my good old standby look to start the ball rolling: a classic French manicure. And yes, they sell that in addition to lots of other solid color looks. Not everything is a wild pattern. There really is something for everyone.
So How Much Do They Cost and What Do You Get for Your Money?
The sheet of wraps that I purchased cost $15, and they were running a promotion for a fourth free sheet with the purchase of three. So, in other words four sets would have cost $45, or $11.25 each. I assumed that each sheet would provide one manicure. Even so, if it held up for the two weeks that it claimed, I would still be saving $10- $15 off the cost of my normal gel manicure.
But after a little research, I quickly discovered that each sheet contains 18 wraps, and each wrap is plenty big enough to be cut in half, thus providing even more manis and pedis per sheet. The wraps come in different sizes so you can select the ones that best fit your nails. The larger wraps are typically used for pedicures, whereas the smaller wraps are generally used for manicures. By my estimation, I can easily get two full manicures and one full pedicure out of a single sheet of Jamberry wraps. I'm sure if you get more creative with how you cut them and/or mix them with polished (non-wrapped nails) you can stretch a sheet even farther. But let's just go with my conservative number for the sake of this math. If I paid $15 for a single sheet and each sheet will get me two manicures and one pedicure, that's only $5 per application. So far, I'm liking the numbers!
After drawing my own conclusions, I found this handy diagram that shows how to make your wraps go even father. Sweet! I will be saving this for my own future reference.
Now that we've got that all settled, let's move on to application.
How Do You Apply Nail Wraps and How Long Does it Really Take?
1. To start, you need to make sure your nails are clean and either coated with a fresh coat of polish or wiped down with rubbing alcohol. I opted to start with clean dry nails that I swiped a little alcohol swab over.
2. Next, work on those cuticles. Push them back with a cuticle pusher. I trimmed mine too, but it's not called for. Just what I do. Actually, if you are starting with polished nails, I suppose you would do this step first.
3. Now your nails are ready for the wraps. Choose the wrap that best fits your nail and remove it from the sheet. It is better to use a wrap that is slightly smaller than your actual nail than one that is too large. (Remember you can cut these in half to save the other half for another manicure.) Apply heat from a hair dryer to the adhesive side for a few seconds until it is pliable. And carefully lay the wrap down on your nail. I started by laying the wrap down closest to my cuticle base and stretching it over my nail until it was covering my nail completely. Apply pressure to get it to stay in place where you want it. It will likely still extend past your actual nail at this point.
4. Trim the wrap to fit your nail. The instructions call for you to cut the wrap with scissors, however, I found that using nail trimmers actually made for a much cleaner cut and one much closer to my actual nail. Once you have made your cut, use an emery board to file the edges smooth to your nail, using a downward motion over the edge of your nail.
5. The final step is to secure your wrap by blasting it with a final shot of heat from the blow dryer again. A few seconds on each nail will do the trick. That's it. Repeat nine more times and your manicure is complete.
So how long did this process take me? The people online who said 10 minutes were giving it a minute per nail. Mine didn't go quite that quickly because it was my first time, but it still only took me about 20 minutes for my very first application. And the second hand went much faster than the first. Now that I understand the process better, I know it won't take me that long next time.
Other Helpful Hints and Tips
You cannot destroy these wraps so don't feel like you have to be super careful with them. You cannot overheat them. In fact, I think a little extra heat helps to make them super pliable and ready to set. Don't forget to "stretch" them over your nail for a clean and smooth application.
Trimming them with nail clippers was such a game changer for me. In fact, if your nails are longer to start with, you can actually trim away a small bit of nail with the extra part of the wrap and you will have the cleanest cut possible.
In retrospect, I don't think I would have chosen a French manicure for my first application if I had considered what that actually meant. For the French manicure to look as nice as possible, it is essential that the white part of the manicure is consistent in length on all your nails. In trying to make that happen, it adds a little more time and care to the process. Whereas a single color or all over pattern would not create the same issue.
Oh, and from everything I read (and now from my own experience too), the first 24 hours of your application will be the most critical. People who said their wraps peeled prematurely almost always said they had one that came off within the first day or so. Your wraps need time to "set" and adhere to your nails. So keep that in mind when choosing when you apply your manicure. I chose to apply mine right before bedtime so I knew I wouldn't be stressing out my newly applied manicure over the next several hours. I also wouldn't apply a new manicure right before I washed a sinkful of dishes, or my car, or my dog. You get the picture. Choose wisely!
So how did my manicure turn out? Well, the next day my husband asked me if I had gotten my nails done! Ha! I'd say that speaks well to the finished product. I am very happy with how they turned out, especially since this was my first attempt at using Jamberry nail wraps.
Here's the final look. Izzie looks especially interested in all this, doesn't she?
Alright, so I'm not a hand model. I'm ok with that! But I will tell you that these wraps really do look like a gel manicure. They are shiny and smooth, and they feel totally secure on my nails. I feel like I have a little too much "white" on my ring finger so I will trim it a little more. But that's the nice part- I can do that and it won't ruin anything!
So there you have it (for now). I will update this post when it's time to remove them for more details on that process and how long they ended up lasting. Until then... I'm giving these wraps high marks so far, so stay tuned for more!
UPDATE: My first set of wraps lasted for eight days, but only because I took them off at Day 8 with intentions of doing a new set for the weekend. They held up great with no peeling at all. I am now on my second set of wraps and they have also been on for about a week now. I think I'm hooked!
