Jumping on the Jamberry Wagon

  So, Jamberry Nails.

  If you're on Facebook, or Instagram, or social media of any kind, chances are you're familiar with the Jamberry obsession that has hit everyone with the X-chromosome. I have at least eight friends on my Facebook page who are JB consultants, but I was resistant to the idea for a long time. Why? Glad you asked. Allow me to explain:

1. The process looked really, really complicated. I don't do complicated. Plus, I remembered those stick-on, press-on nails I used when I was in elementary school, and the results were dismal, to say the least.

2. While I thought some of the designs JB advertised were cute, I thought some of them were more appropriate for a 12-year old girl (ex. the turkey nails for Thanksgiving), than a newly 33-year old mom.

3. I have fairly short nails. Being a violinist since the ripe old age of six meant that I was allowed to have long-fake-nails for high school dances and my wedding. That was pretty much it. Even though I don't play as much as I should, I'm uncomfortable with even slightly long nails, and I tend to think that bright nail colors and designs look odd on short nails.

4. I'm cheap.

5. I'm lazy.

  I eventually visited the main JB website, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really did like a lot of the designs and colors. There are some beautiful glittery, sparkly nail sheets (all the ladies out there who hate trying to remove glitter nail polish...can I get an AMEN???!!), cute designs that weren't too over the top, and a helpful instructional video for all of us in the back row who tend to screw up any type of beauty application. Something else that caught my eye was the lasting length of the nail wraps. I rarely go to salons to get mani/pedis anymore, because as I already mentioned, I'm cheap, plus within one or two days of getting a manicure, the polish is chipped and it looks like butt. What's the point of spending upwards of $30 if you can't even get something that lasts beyond a week? Slowly but surely, I was warming up to the idea of JB, but still not completely ready to take the plunge.

  A month or two ago, my friend Shaunacey became a JB consultant. She offered a free half sheet of wraps for anyone who was willing to write a review, so I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to set aside my fear of anything related to beauty products  hesitation. I won't lie, I was a little bit intimidated when I opened up the package from Shaunacey. She suggested I watch the instructional video on the JB website before attempting the process (no worries there, sister!). I was fully expecting for the filing, buffing, applying, blow-drying, and shaping to take well over an hour, but I'm happy to report I was done in less than 30 minutes. I imagine once you get used to the whole process, it will take even less time. Here are the pros:

1. It really isn't that hard. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can do it.

Beginning the harrowing ordeal...

Success! Now to trim and file that bad boy.

1 nail done, only 9 to go!

2. I really liked the nail wraps Shaunacey sent to me. They were cute and fun, but not too loud for my taste.

3. If you screw up a nail, it really isn't that noticeable. If you're painting your nails and you accidentally brush polish on your finger or over the nail, you're going to be cleaning that up for a while. 

The Cons:

1. It was slightly awkward trying to manage the application of the wrap with the orangewood stick, all while trying to blow dry the wrap. (However, I imagine it's much easier if you have the JB portable mini-heater). 

2. I had somewhat of a difficult time applying the wraps on my dominant hand. I'm a righty, so trying to apply and trim the excess wrap off of my nails on my right hand was definitely kind of a challenge.

3. Every two minutes Will would look up from what he was doing, and remark, "Man, I'm glad guys aren't expected to do stuff like this." Okay, so that had nothing to do with the wraps, but I felt obligated to add it. 

However, the end result was totally worth it. Even Will looked surprised, and told me my nails were "very pretty." Coming from an Army guy who spends day after day in the field on a tank...that's a compliment of the highest order.

  So, I think it's safe to say JB has a positive vote from the Tenney household, and I'd like to thank my friend for giving me the opportunity to finally give it a try. If you're interested in trying JB but don't know where to start, visit Shaunacey's page here. The JB wraps are always "buy 3 sheets, get 1 free!" and they can be ordered from anywhere in the US or Canada.

*Other than the free half sheet of nails, I did not receive any compensation for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.