What’s a Jamberry anyway?

This is me, showing off my Jamberry nails.

You’ve probably heard about this craze called “Jamberry”. I kept seeing it in my Facebook feed. I have a couple of friends, both which live far, far away, that sell Jamberry. I’ve seen their promotions, sure, but I didn’t get it.

What’s a Jamberry exactly? Is that a fruit? It is a real thing? Ok. It’s a nail product. Is this like Lee Press on Nails or something? What is it?

I googled it: “what is a jamberry”

Well, when you google it, all you get is virtual posters of the pretty nail designs, like this:

Anchors away!

or this:

They come in many team logos!

I think I NEED these.

Call me corny, but I’m TOTALLY considering these teacher styles. Is this the equivalent to the ’90s denham jumper with apple appliques?

You can get more classic patterns too:

I could post pics of the amazing designs all day. I’m FASCINATED!!

By the way, I’m also stubborn. I HAD to know if there is actually a jamberry fruit. Guess what! There IS!! It’s like a yellowish/purpleish Mexican tomato. Good luck google-ing it because Jamberry Nails definitely has the market cornered on the search engine results.

But that’s neither here nor there, really…..

So my friend Kristina sent me a free sheet of “nail wraps” to try out.

Have you met my friend, Kristina?

Yes, she’s pretty, but she’s also tough. This is a goat farming, home schooling three kids, sweet, Christian, home remodeling, Jamberry selling, Rheumatoid Arthritis AND Psoriatic Arthritis fighting, POWERHOUSE.

Yes, powerhouse, just ask ANYONE who knows Kristina. She’s amazing, she’s very down to earth, and you can’t not love her.

So when Kristina asks you to try on her Jamberry wraps, you try on her Jamberry wraps:

-even though I hadn’t done anything but trim my nails in like 9 years

-even though I didn’t know what a Jamberry was

-and even though I have never been to a Jamberry class and had NO idea how to put them on.

(Yes, I like diamonds too.)

Many people get to go to a class where they show you how to put these things on, but Kristina lives in Tennessee, and I live in California, so I was on my own. She did send me a YouTube video, though, of how to do it:

They are basically like stickers, but you heat them with a hair dryer before and after you put them on. I have teeny, teeny, tiny fingernails, so I used the smallest five wraps. Then I trimmed almost all of them with fingernail clippers, all the way around. I am a freak, I think. I need to buy my next set from the little girls’ section. The smallest one fit my pinkies perfectly, but after that I trimmed them with nail clippers, and that worked just fine.

They come on a sheet of paper like this:

First, I gathered my materials:

alcohol to clean nails: Well, I searched the house, there wasn’t any, so I just washed my hands and carried on….  I’m sure that’s against the rules, but the wraps are still working great.  😉

scissors: You have to cut each wrap in half: half for your left hand, half for your right.

finger nail clippers: to trim the wraps to fit your nail

nail file: finishing touches

hair dryer: to set the adhesive– You use this right before you put the wrap on and right after you put it on.

pretty nail wraps

My Tips:

As you see in the above pic, I goofed on my thumbs. Those were the first two I did, and I had no clue which wraps to use. That’s the advantage of first times. You only have to do the first time once, and then you are never a first timer again. Now I know that I only need the 5 smallest wraps for my hands.

I trimmed the excess with nail clippers, and all was well. I got the wrinkle out too. The key is to go smaller than your nail, not larger.

My only other tip: I think this will be a lot easier for someone who has experience with things like manicures and any sort of press on or stick on nails. I’d never done any of it, so it was all new to me. I remember, even on my wedding day, nails were such an after thought. I asked my friend Leigh, “Can you bring some polish or something and do my nails right before the ceremony?”

The Results

I am SO happy having pretty fingernails, I am not sure I will ever be able to go back to not caring. Having such festive fingers has been surprisingly fun. It is a MOOD lifter! I look down at them and remember that I am NOT one of the boys. Remember, I rarely get to be around another estrogen-filled person!

I’ve mentioned that I now work with middle school girls on Wednesday night. Well, let me tell you, they were IMPRESSED. I didn’t say a word about my nails, and I got so many compliments–lots of oooo’s and aaahhhh’s– on my flowery fingers.

Even my little boys have noticed! Well, sort of. Caleb asked, “Um, what is that? On your hands?”

I didn’t even know how to explain. I’m not sure what I said. Caleb replied, “Oh yeah, you’re a girl.”

OH YEAH!!!! And it’s high time I have a little more fun with that whole girl thing! 🙂 Maybe tomorrow I’ll wear a dress at home or something…..nah…

girly, girly, girly

By the way, here are a few FAQs for ya:

Jamberry wraps:

-Last 2 weeks

-Made in the USA

-completely water-resistant or proof or something….Water slides right off

-Do not chip!

-Do not contain harmful chemicals.

-Never animal tested

-Latex Free

-Non-Toxic

-Over 250 designs

She posted this photo of her Jamberry-covered nails, to demonstrate how well they hold up to the rigors of farm life:

She said this: “Just birthed 3 goat kids this week, 2 were pulled. My jams have been on for 9 days! Still look awesome! We may live in a barn but we don’t need to look like it!:)”

I thought that was pretty impressive! Thanks for the fun, Kristina! Mine have been on 5 days. I haven’t birthed any goats, but I did have my hands in lots of bread dough and diapers…..not at the same time…..ewwww…..and they are holding up great!!