Jamberry Nail Shields Product Review

The lovely respresentatives of Jamberry Nails contacted me about reviewing their product. I have to mention that it was such a pleasant exchange of information! Their product is made in the US and they only have US reps, so that means they spoke/wrote proper English that didn't require decifering. (Unlike some other nail art companies that are based out of other countries that send broken English e-mails that just confuse me...)

What is their product?

It is a vinyl-based film covering that is both heat and pressure activated. They are NOT stickers or decals. Nor are they made of nail polish like the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Strips. They have so many different designs to choose from on their website! Many patterns would be easy enough to recreate by using Konad stamps, but others are much more intricate.

I picked out the Blue Damask pattern.

They come as a sheet of 18 individual strips. The range of sizes available really impressed me! I have large nail beds and often times have trouble finding the right sizes. This was great! The left side is large enough for your big toe! Down to the far right is for a narrow pinky nail, or perhaps a little toenail. :) Each strip was long enough for me to get 2 uses out of it if I cut it in half lengthwise.

How do you apply them?

1. Use acetone to remove any oils from your nails, lightly buff them if they are really slick...
2. Once you select what size will fit you best (I found it easiest to cut the strips in half while still applied to the backing sheet), peel it off of the backing with tweezers. This is important because you don't want the oils on your fingers to have contact with the adhesive. (It won't stick to your nail as well.)
3. Once you are holding just the strip with tweezers, hold it under the warm heat of a blow dryer for 15-20 seconds. The heat activates the adhesive and you can see it start to look more "wet" and the strip almost starts to curl as it gets more flexible.
4. Then you align it to the cuticle and smooth it onto your nail bed.
5. Once you get to the free edge, just cut away the excess and lightly file in a downwards motion to match the edge of your nail.
6. Then press the strip down firmly all over, to ensure good contact.
7. You can hold your nail under the blow dryer for a few more seconds to heat it again, and apply more pressure.

Here is a link to their YouTube instructional video if my directions were confusing.

I didn't have much trouble with these at all! They were pretty easy to apply. The only complication I had was some wrinkles along the free edge. I couldn't get the sticker to lie flat where my nail started to curve downwards.

 But that's it! They are dry immediately and you don't have to wait for fear of them messing up. You do not apply a topcoat because they are already shiny.

18 nail shields is more than enough for one manicure! In fact, I applied these as an entire manicure and an entire pedicure..... and I ended up with 7 whole strips left! For short toenails I was able to get 3-4 uses out of each strip. Because of this I feel like the price ($15 per pack) is very reasonable.

How long do they last?

They are said to last up to 2 weeks like other similar products boast. My nails only lasted until the next night before I got bored and started to pick them off from where they wrinkled. I mentioned that I also put them on my toes and they are still there! I applied them on 2/12 and it's now 2/18 as I type this and they still look good as new! I don't have any lifting or tipwear on my toes. I will update this post on the day I end up taking them off to let you know.

Are they difficult to remove?

Not at all! You just find a loose corner and peel it off. It comes off easily and in one whole sheet. It doesn't chip or tear. It also doesn't leave any residue on the nail bed. There is no adhesive left behind, and it does not appear to damage the nail bed. You can hold your nails under the blow dryer again to loosen them if needed.

My end opinion? I think they're pretty cool. For this type of product that boasts a long wear time, this is the only one other than Sally Hansen Salon Effects that I've found to live up to the claim. (But again, they are made differently. One is nail polish, one is vinyl.) So go check out the many designs on their website and buy some to try out yourself. :) They have a special offer of buy 3 get 1 free. You can get yours HERE and at checkout make sure to choose Leslie under "party." ;)

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Salon Effects - Wear Test

So you may be wondering how my Salon Effects wear test went? Take a look for yourself. :)

This is Day 1:

Day 2: Minor tip wear noted.

Day 3: Slightly more tip wear, gap near cuticle more pronounced.

Day 4: By the time night rolled around I was itching to take these things off. It was killing me to have the same pattern on my nails for so long! You can see that they were still ok though. Just more tip wear and larger gaps. This pic shows how I struggled to find a good fit for my right thumb nail.

I think they lasted very well considering that there were no chips & no areas that lifted up from the nail. I don't think they would last well for an entire 10 days, but 5 days is still good in my opinion. So if you are looking for something to last you for a vacation, check them out!

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Sally Hansen Salon Effects

So I don't know about you guys, but the nail salons in my area have no clue about nail art. They would never be able to do something as simple as this mesh pattern. They think that a few lines coming out on one side of the nail is "art." It's pathetic. They can't even do simple flowers. So in my mind, this far surpasses what is considered salon effect. ;)

I wanted to try these guys out for my trip. I knew I would not be able to change my polish as much as I normally do. So I wanted something that would at least look decent for several days. Great opportunity to do a wear test of these Salon Effects stickers. :)

I do have experience using these guys before. I think it was before I started blogging, so no pictures. :( I had a mixed review then. I tried the Denim print and it lasted for 3 days before I took it off just out of boredom, but I remember that they still looked pretty good! I was impressed.... Then I also tried the Laced Up design, and they peeled off within just a few hours. I think my application was a bit rushed though... So I'm hoping that was the only problem.

 This time I picked up Misbehaved because I needed something slightly neutral to go with so many different outfits. These are gold with a black mesh pattern. Similar to a Konad image, I get that.

 I was careful and took my precious time and perfectly prepped my nails. Made sure they were wiped with acetone to remove even the slightest bit of oils and residue before applying. I only had trouble with my ring fingers. I couldn't seem to find the right size sticker the first time around and had to remove and try a different sticker. Then they went on fine. My right hand thumbnail is a good bit larger than my left hand. (Long story involving a dog bite, and my mom saying she thought I'd be disfigured for life... Gee, thanks for caring mom, but why didn't you take me to the doctor then?! Lol) So because it's larger, even the largest sticker didn't truly fit the width correctly. It's not a terrible gap, but I notice it's there.

After I applied them all, I held them under the blow dryer for just a few seconds. Then I smoothed them down to be extra sure there was a good bond. I then applied a layer of topcoat and carefully wrapped the tips in the hopes to minimize wear. All in all, it took me about 30 minutes to finish them. A long time for some, but I was being super-extra careful, and hit a few snags.

I'll do my best to take pics of them each day of my trip to show you a proper wear test.

Don't worry, I'm packing a small makeup bag with some polishes and tools in the hopes that the girls I'm visiting with be interested in manis! And as a backup if my test fails early!

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Paint & Peel Wear Test

This is for Jess!

She asked to know more about how it would hold up for an evening or a couple of days. So I put two coats on followed by one coat of INM - Out The Door Topcoat and went to work. I applied it at 5pm & I work twelve hour shifts, so I'm home and settled down and it's now 8am and this is what it looks like.

Left Hand - Not so bad right? Just a bit of tip wear. Nothing too noticeable from a distance.

Then on the other hand.......

......

......

......

Not so great! 

I am right handed, so this hand does get more abuse. (Hence the nubbins) The primary reason for the wear and tear at the cuticle edge is in the application. I was much steadier when doing my non-dominant hand. So I was able to get close to the cuticle without spillage and everything stayed neat and tidy. When painting on my dominant hand I was shakier (aren't we all?) and the application was a little messier. Just a bit got here or there along my cuticle but it was barely noticeable, so I let it slide. Well after 12 hours of scrubbing my hands with harsh hospital antibacterial soap a gazillion times, my cuticles dried out and the paint started peeling. And I have the tendency to pick.... That's why my middle nail has no polish. It was the worst of the bunch and I picked it all away.

Up close, this is what most all of them looked like. Even with the topcoat, they each had their own little dings and scratches by the time my shift ended. Tip wear was about the same on all.

All in all, I really love the color and this is a great concept to go with for those that change their polish often. Though I can't see it lasting more than a day unless super-precise application and topcoat, along with no picking!

Thanks Jess for the question! I like to help others when I get the chance. Keep em coming!

;)

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Claire's Mood Polish Wear Test

I stand corrected! I don't know if it was the Teenage Dream over the top of the mood polish? Or perhaps my topcoat/basecoat combo worked magic this time? I was suprised to find that this mani lasted as long as it did. I applied it Sunday evening and lasted until Tuesday morning! And those few days were filled with work at the hospital with frequent handwashing. Here are some pics to show the few chips that I had.

 Now the big chips on my middle and ring finger are from where I got bored and picked at it for a bit. However, as you can see for the most part the mani was intact.

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