Jamberry Nails Review

One of my sister's friends gave me a Jamberry nail sample to try out last night.  I was excited because I have been hearing about Jamberry from multiple people and had been wanting to test them out.  Basically, it is like a decal or sticker you apply to your nails that is supposed to last longer than regular polish. They run about $15 per sheet and you should be able to get a few manicures from each sheet.  So, price-wise it is a pretty good deal.  If they work.

Here is the sample I was given.  The colors are not really my style at all, but I saw another person with the same ones on and they looked fabulous, so I figured, Why not?

Sample via Kimberly Jennex

I tried them today and here is my opinion.

Please note, I did a quick manicure (removed old polish, cleaned up cuticles a bit, filed and then cleaned my nails with alcohol) prior to application.

First, the sizes seem to be way off.  There was not one that fit my thumb at all and I just used the best size for each of the other nails.  I applied them using both the heat, then apply and the apply to the nail, then heat methods (per the Jamberry website application videos).  Both seemed to work about the same.  It took some trial and error to get the excess to file off properly, but I figured that out without too much of a problem.  Overall, they look pretty.  Definitely not my usual style, but fun to try out for free.  

   

The main pros to me are they don't smell at all, no dry time and they are shiny.  The lack of smell is a big deal to me, since I'm super sensitive to most scents.  No dry time is great, too. This means you could apply before bed or when you have somewhere to go and don't have a lot of time to use actual nail polish.  No dry time = No smudges at all.

Cons would be the sizing and the slight ripples on some of them (which may be caused by how I applied/filed them).  The sizing really bothers me because I really like a nice, polished nail and seeing the sides of my nail where the nail decal didn't extend to is a bit annoying.

Time-wise it took about the same as a regular manicure.  Most likely the application time and the way they look will improve with more practice.  They are supposed to last for up to two weeks on nails and four weeks on toenails, but if they last more than five days on my nails I would be happy and consider purchasing some of the more conservative styles.

So, what do you think?  Have you tried Jamberry Nails yet?  How did they turn out?  On the fence?  Order some and give them a try!  If you need a consultant, feel free to use this link to Kim's Jamberry page.

The Battle of the Brands

I have to say one of the things I prefer about uniforms in school are the lack of "name brands".  Ever since our son, Sal III was very young (I'd say about 2 or 3 years old), I've let him pick his own clothes.  He went through a 6 year camo phase, no joke.  All the way down to the underwear.   He never wanted colored hair, faux hawks, jewelry or any name brand things.  What I'm saying is, I let him be himself without placing any pressure on him re who I thought he should be or how he should appear to the outside world (other than daily showers).  :) When he started preschool (at age 3) he could dress as he liked.  I witnessed first hand what appears to be (IMO) the battle of the brands.  I'm not saying his 3 year old classmate did not choose his spiked green hair, DC shoes and Sean Paul (spelling) attire on his own.  That is entirely possible.  However when I see the father of that child wearing the same type of sideways hat and shoes, it makes me wonder if our society is way too focused on all the wrong things.  I'm in no way saying I don't buy my son name brand things.  I do, for sure.  Here is why.  It is not because I like a specific name brand or because of the brand itself.  It is because as he has gotten older, he likes different things for different reasons. He loves a lot of the Quicksilver shirts because he loves the ocean scenes and his dad likes to surf.  But, only shirts in the softest and brightest highlighter-looking colors.  He still loves anything camo because his grandfather (who he is named after) is a Marine.  At his size, camo is hard to come by, so the kids sections at stores like Old Navy and Target just aren't cutting it any more, so I have to look at the other brands now.  We've even been to the Army surplus stores.  He does sometimes pick really odd things. During a trip to Catalina last year, he studied and really wanted this bright blue Patagonia backpack from one of the stores.  My husband said no, because it was over $100.  We asked him why he wanted this specific backpack.  He said because it had safety features.  Reflective tape, a whistle, a place to keep a water pouch.  He also liked all the pockets to store his gear. We thought about it and went back to the store and bought it for him.  He had been using the same two backpacks since preschool.  One was camo (big surprise) and the other was a Boy Scouts one.  Six years of the same backpacks and they still look new.    I explained this to my husband who then agreed if he wanted an expensive backpack, we could justify it because he would take care of it.  He is using it again this year.   My son loves soft things and he really prefers anything he wears to be really soft, so while shopping for his Summer clothes, I came across some really soft shorts for him.  My husband saw them and informed me they were a name brand that was popular.  I honestly had no idea.  They were $14.97 on clearance.  I wasn't sure if our son would like them, but I bought them anyway.  He did not like them.  He asked me to buy the same shorts he's been wearing since he was about 2 years old.  The problem is, he is in a 16-18 now and the boys section of Target ends there and I was trying to prepare him for the move from his non-descript Circo brand Target cargo shorts.  You know, the ones that are 2 pairs for $12?  I guess my point is, I wish more children were unaware of name brands, peer pressure to fit in, be "in-style", etc.  I can only hope that all children have a chance to be themselves, find out what they like and make choices on their own.  I truly believe our society places way too much value on who has the newest name brand purse, shoes, clothes and cars.   It is OK to have these things.  Just make sure you are doing it because it is something you or your child truly LOVES, not because you are trying to fit in or one-up the neighbors.