Thursday, January 23, 2014

Jamberry Nails in "Galactic" - Review


Hello, all! Today I've got a review of Jamberry Nail wraps to share with you. I had heard of Jamberry a few times but I hadn't really explored trying them out myself. Since I love free-hand painting, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about nail stickers. But, a quick perusal of their site shows a vast array of prints, patterns and designs, many of which would be insanely difficult to attempt free-hand. Jamberry boasts these can last up to 2 weeks so I could definitely see using these for when you've got a long trip and have to leave your polish behind, or if you're in the mood for some quick and fun nail art. 

I received a few of these stickers and they're all quite fun so I could see myself using them in the future. For today's look, I chose the Galactic sticker and paired it with American Apparel's Peacock. The galaxy almost looks pixilated/fuzzy up close, but I think that's intentional and makes it look very unique. 

I was really intimidated by the application process at first. You have to get a hair dryer (or some other heat source out which is honestly pretty inconvenient) and essentially melt the material ever so slightly so it becomes malleable and can adhere to your nail. But, I watched the how-to video created by Jamberry and felt fairly confident about the whole process by the end of it. 
Each Jamberry sheet comes with 18 stickers in varying sizes and are long enough that you can cut the strips in half and use them for another manicure at a later time. I can't speak to the variety of sticker sizes as I was only sent 5 loose samples, but from pictures I've seen online, it seems like there are plenty of options to fit any nail size (up to a certain length of course). 
Unfortunately, of the stickers I was sent, none of them were really a spot on match. For this mani, I opted for a smaller is better approach since you are supposed to avoid the sticker touching your skin as much as possible. While I avoided that issue, I encountered others. I had visible nail on the sides near my tips and some slight puckering even though I reapplied heat to the sticker and tried to smooth it down. I'm not sure if the issue was that the sticker was too small, or if I just have especially wide nail beds that didn't want to play nicely. 
Jamberry boasts a 2 week life to these nail wraps, but, since I'm a nail blogger, I only wore these for 2 days. I did get to live with them for that time though and I don't really see how they would last a whole 2 weeks, especially with showering, doing dishes, typing, etc. Maybe on your toes they might last longer. 
On one hand, I don't know how durable they will actually be for 2 weeks. I think a more reasonable expectation is a week (and even that may be being generous). But again, I can't say for sure since I did not wear them that long. Jamberry retails for $15 for one sheet so it's definitely a higher price for something you can only use a few times. If you opt for the accent nail look like I did, you could make your sheet last for quite a few manis though so maybe that is worth it to some. From my experience, there were some slight problems with matching the sticker to my nail width, but hopefully having access to a full sheet, none of you would encounter that. I don't like that you have to use a heat source to apply these - I find it pretty inconvenient and not especially easy to do. 

That being said, I think they are fun and it's an awesome way to get a mani that you wouldn't normally be able to do on your own. There is zero clean-up, and it's overall an easier process than regular nail art might be for some. They also have a huge variety of stickers/designs so that's a definite plus. 

Overall, I don't know that I can actively support Jamberry. Their reps tend to be insanely pushy (more than a few of my own hard painted nail art designs have had comments from Jamberry reps dropped on them stating that "you can get a similar design from Jamberry without all the work!" which I find incredibly rude and discredits the hard work I did on my own art) and I've heard horror stories of some reps making fun of other people's manis as a way to sell their product. On the whole, I would say pass on this company and try something more reasonably priced with less heartache. 
What do you think of this mani? Would you want to try Jamberry? You can browse and purchase Jamberry for $15/style here and keep up with them on Facebook for new releases. 

Happy Polishing :) 

5 comments:

  1. I tried Jamberry and hated them. So many of my friends are selling them and I really wanted to like them. I had issues with the ends lifting, no matter what I did. And the nail damage they gave me is finally almost gone. I'd never use them again.

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  2. I also ended up with nail damage (Who ends up with nail damage on toenails? This girl.); I won't use them again.

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  3. It's sad how some people are reporting damage to their nails, which leads me to question: did they use a protective base coat? Did they use the gentle method to remove their jamberries? I can't take the complainers seriously without more information. :)

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    1. A protective base coat is never mentioned in any of the information given. And yes, I used the gentle method to remove them. Twice. I've had them off for almost a month now, and my nails are STILL brittle. I might give them a third chance, but not before my nails get back to having a little strength in them.

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    2. It's recommended when people use nail polish to put on a base coat first, so it doesn't dye the nail or cause damage, but it's optional. Same thing with using Jamberry. If you're worried something might damage your nails, use a protective coat first. I highly recommend Quimica Alemana Nail Hardener (about $7 on Amazon), but Jamberry also sells a 5-free nail strengthener, if you're worried about harsh chemicals. I used Quimica Alemana Nail Hardener after my nails weakened from living in Spain for 2 years, but just a couple of applications later, (about a month or so had gone by since I started using the stuff) my nails were back to being super strong and healthy. :)

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