Jamberry Nails Are Now Available in Canada

I don’t bother getting manicures anymore. With two kids, housework, and dishes, my nails start to chip after only a few days, and who has the kind of money to blow on that? Then I heard about Jamberry Nails. These vinyl nail wraps have been all the rage in the US, and they finally arrived in Canada last fall. I was approached by Karen at Nurse Jams Jamberry Nails to try out some nail wraps and let you all know how they work. She promised me they’d last at least two weeks on my nails. I was pretty skeptical, but I was game to test them out.

First of all, Jamberry Nails has more than 350 designs available, and they’re releasing new ones all the time. The problem isn’t finding a design you like, it’s choosing only one (or two!). After much deliberation and thought, I finally settled on Turple Ombre and Black Lace. Karen also sent me some Zebra and Scribble Hearts Junior Jams for Tee to try. I thought these would be fun to put on for her birthday party.

Applying Jamberry Nails

I gently pushed my cuticles back and cleaned my nails with rubbing alcohol. The clear backing made it easy to compare the nail wraps with my own nails to find the best fit. I cut each wrap in half (you get two uses from each wrap), peeled it off the backing, and and used my hair dryer to heat it for 3-5 seconds. I pressed the wrap on, focusing on getting the edges stuck down well. There’s a little bit of a learning curve and I did have to start over on a couple of nails, but it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.

If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a video tutorial.

Right off the bat, compare about 15 minutes total application time with how long it usually takes you to do your nail polish. To give the nail polish the best shot possible, I did a base coat, two coats of colour, and a top coat. That’s 4 layers, plus drying time in between. It took me basically the whole day and I had to be hyper alert about not touching, smudging, or denting my polish while it was still wet. So I’ll tell you right now that even if they only lasted a week, I’d pick the Jamberry Nails simply for the time savings. Once the Jamberry Nails are on, go ahead and put on your socks, type an email, or pick up your baby. No worries about ruining wet nails!

Here’s a visual record of how the Jamberry Nails and my nail polish held up. Jamberry on the left, nail polish on the right.

The nail polish was noticeably chipped by day 5, and by day 10 it really looked awful. I let it go to day 18 before I couldn’t wait any longer to clean it off. The chipped and flaked polish looked so tacky! My nails had grown out a bit, and the wrap on the very ends of my nails had worn away from use, but the Jamberry Nails still looked surprisingly good. Hands down, Jamberry Nails win for durability and time savings. Two thumbs up!

Jamberry Juniors

Jamberry Nails also makes Jamberry Juniors, nail wraps in a smaller size suitable for kids. My 4 year old had a birthday a couple of weeks ago, and as a treat we had a girls’ night and did our nails the evening before her party. At her age I would never put regular nail polish on her. But these are non-toxic, latex-free, and gluten-free (if your little one puts her fingers in her mouth). These were a little more challenging to apply because her nails are so small, but I think I did an okay job.

They looked really cute the next day at her party! Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how long they lasted because she started chewing on them and peeled them all off within a couple of days. So I’m awfully glad they’re non-toxic, but I don’t think we’ll be putting these on her again for a while. I think she’s just a little young still.

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Disclosure: I received sample items for review.  All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.