Happy Friday!

If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw my cute jamberry nails that I tried a couple of weeks ago. I know these have nothing to do with health and fitness, but as a mom, it’s fun to feel like a real person and have pretty nails every once in a while, even if it only lasts a day!

jamberry nails

If you aren’t familiar with jamberry nails, they are nail wraps that stick onto your fingernails when applied with heat. Three sisters who are also moms themselves created the wraps after wanting to find a cost effective alternative to having their nails look polished. In 2010, jamberry nails was founded.

A year ago I saw a woman with red and white polka dot painted toe nails that looked too perfect for someone to paint them that way. I asked the woman where she had her toes done and she told me they were jamberry nails. Once I got home, I googled jamberry and instantly wanted to get them, but I have to admit, I didn’t want to spend the money to order some without trying them first. I hate to spend money on something without trying it, and when it comes to nails, nothing seems to work for me (even the Shellac gel nails haven’t lasted more than 5 days!).

Much to my surprise, a few weeks ago, I saw that my friend, Jenna, who I used to train with at my old CrossFit box, was starting to sell jamberry nails and was giving away free samples! She immediately sent me some and I tried them right away. Prior to trying them, I watched a couple of application videos because without proper application, the wraps won’t tend to stick to your nail very well, thus not lasting as long. The wraps should last for at least a week, if not two to three weeks!

I used an iron for heating up the wraps and then finishing them off with a blow dryer (once they were on my nail). I then trimmed off the excess wrap and filed them down as instructed on the video that you can see below.

I was able to apply all but one wrap without any bubbles or mishaps; not bad for my first attempt! I thought the application process was going to take a lot longer, but it ended up only taking me 15 minutes. The nice thing about the wraps is there is no drying period like when you paint your nails; once the wraps are applied, you are good to go!

So…the verdict: I applied the nail wraps on a Sunday and after swimming that afternoon and cleaning house on Monday, I lost one wrap on my right pinky finger (my dominant hand) on Tuesday. I also noticed two other wraps starting to peel/recede, but the rest of my nails looked good. I absolutely LOVED the wraps, how easy they were to apply and how nice they looked on my nails, but I was disappointed in how long they actually lasted. I was really hoping they would last a full week. Maybe I didn’t apply them as accurately as I thought, or maybe the chlorine in the pool and cleaning was too much for them. I do have a tendency to be hard on my hands, so it doesn’t surprise me that the wraps didn’t last for very long. However, I think the wraps would be great on my toes, so I definitely want to try that next time! Overall, I think jamberry nails are a great, healthy, inexpensive (and fun!) alternative to getting a manicure at a nail salon, especially as a mom when it is hard to find time for ourselves. For me, I’ll stick to using them for special occasions and on my toes!

jamberry nails

Jenna is so kind that she has offered to give anyone a FREE sample by filling out a short application here AND one lucky reader TWO sample sheets (see picture below) to try by entering the giveaway!! Giveaway ends next Thursday, July 31st at midnight PST!

jamberry nail samples

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