Jamberry

What is Jamberry? Jamberry is glorified nail stickers. Super cute, super special nail stickers that stay on your nails for a minimum of 2 weeks. And they're actually called nail wraps.

One of my childhood friends, Wendy, had an online Jamberry party. I had heard of Jamberry before, but I was reluctant to get any because I had never tried them and they were expensive. After a lot of research, I kept hearing only good things, so I ordered some....okay, I ordered a lot. I did the 'buy 3 get 1 free' deal.

I really enjoy having nails themed with the holidays, so I got some for each of the holidays coming up. Also, I had a music minor in college, so that explains the other sheet of wraps. Here is a picture of the 4 sets I bought:

(LtoR: Candy Cane, Sheet Music, Jacks & Corn, Gobble Me Up)

As you can see, the 2 on the right are a lot smaller than the 2 on the left. Those are called Jamberry Juniors because they're for children. I knew they were smaller, and I bought them anyway because have small nail beds.

I did a test to see which product lasts the longest: nail polish, Jamberry nail wraps or Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail wraps.

On the nails that had nail polish, I used a strengthening base coat (which I also used as a top coat) from the dollar store:

 

Here is what I had on each finger:

• Thumb: magnetic nail polish
• Index: dollar store nail polish
• Middle: Jamberry
• Ring: grocery store nail polish
• Pinky: Sally Hansen

2 weeks (actually 13 days) later, I took this picture:

I'm sure I could have kept going for at least another week, but I REALLY wanted to take this stuff off my nails. It looked really bad and I wanted something new.

I didn't have the success that every other person who did a test (that I saw) did. I am disappointed with my Jamberry nail wraps. When I first put the turkey one on, I had trouble getting it to secure to the tip of my nail. In order to get the nail wrap to stay, you have to heat it up. I didn't have a heater, so I used a burner on the stove. It seemed to stick everywhere else on my nail, except the tip. I pressed on the tip of my nail multiple times a day to get it to stay, but nothing worked.

I couldn't get any really good pictures of the Jamberry nail wrap, but here is the best one (I really tried haha):

If you click on the picture to zoom, you can see the tip is yellow (I also put it on crooked). I wish I knew why it turned yellow. My only guess is because I used actual fire to heat the nail wrap, but I don't know if that's a smart guess ;)

The rest of my nails (with the nail polish) did exactly what you thought they would do: chip. In my opinion, the dollar store nail polish looked the best after 2 weeks. It was worn down at the top a little, but looked the best out of the three.

My Sally Hansen nail wrap looked the absolute best, though. Part of me thinks that's because it was on my pinky. I really didn't expect that one to last like it did, considering the first time I used them was a hot mess.


I also did my nails this past weekend for a family photo shoot we had Sunday. I did my nails on Friday, and I used the Etched Leaf Jamberry nail wraps that I won in an online contest (they have since been discontinued), with an accented Sally Hansen ring finger. I used an actual heater this time, not fire from the stove haha. I don't know what happened to my Jamberry nail wraps, but I had to take them off and redo them on Saturday night. Here is the final result:

I ended up taking them off on Tuesday night because they were so messed up. I don't know what I'm doing wrong with these nail wraps. Here is a picture of one of my nail wraps, but a couple of them did this:

The clear part on top of the design peeled away from the actual nail wrap! I still have on my Sally Hansen nail wraps. They're holding up really well.

I just don't understand.


Has this happened to you? Please let me know and how I can fix this. I really love Jamberry designs, but it makes me sad that I have so much trouble with them. My main problem is the corners of my nails. No matter how much heat, pressure, or filing I do, the corners of my nail wraps won't stay down.

I really think it has a lot (if not everything) to do with the fact that I have to heat them up. Other than heating them up, I do the same thing with my Jamberry nail wraps that I do with my Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail wraps, and those work so much better for me. The bad thing about Sally Hansen is the nail wraps dry out after being opened. The last time I tried my Sally Hansen nail wraps was around Christmas and I saved the ones I didn't use. I tried using them for this test and they didn't stick to my nail at all. I've heard Jamberry nail wraps never dry out, which is one of the main reasons I want these to work for me (I've only had mine for a couple months, so I can't really say).

Have you tried Jamberry nail wraps before? What are your thoughts? What are your favorite designs? I have some that I would LOVE to purchase, but I won't until I can figure out what I'm doing wrong and can get them to stay on.


Even though I haven't had good luck with them, I still think Jamberry nail wraps are great, and I have high hopes that I can get them to work for me one day. If you are interested, Wendy is a consultant. Here is her Facebook page and her Jamberry page. If you get some nail wraps, I hope you have better luck ;) (really, I have only heard of 1 other person who has had the same luck that I have....yay us haha)

Any advice on how to make my Jamberry nail wraps work is greatly appreciated! :)

XOXO

Jen

PS. On the plus side, I now get to try using the Jacks & Corn nail wraps for Halloween this Friday ;) (just trying to think of some positives)

Insomnia (part 1)

I'm a natural night owl. It is so easy for me to stay up late, no matter what time I wake up. When I was in college, I could wake up at 7AM for class and then stay up until 12AM or 1AM.

As long as I can remember, I have always had trouble falling asleep. Before, I would usually toss and turn for 30-60 minutes. Now it takes even longer. Since I've always had trouble getting to sleep, I've learned I can't just stay in bed and hope to sleep. Sometimes I try to fight the restlessness, but I usually have to get up and do something. Trying to sleep, but not being able to, makes me so frustrated.


I wrote this to try and give insight into what I go through every time I go to bed. I go through this multiple times a night:

tick-tock

By: Jen Harris

tick-tock

I'm so uncomfortable

I'll just roll over and get comfy

tick-tock

Aaaahhh this spot is so comfortable

I bet I'll fall asleep in a few minutes

tick-tock

I'M SO UNCOMFORTABLE

It's so hot in here

I'll just stick my legs out of the comforter a little

My neck hurts

tick-tock

Now my legs are freezing

But the rest of me is sweating

I still can't get comfy

tick-tock

I need to fall asleep now

I bet it's been like an hour

5 MINUTES?!?!!!

tick-tock

This night is never going to end

All I want to do is sleep

I wish I could stop yawning

tick-tock

If I'm going to yawn this much I should be sleeping
Maybe all this yawning is keeping me awake
My neck still hurts

tick-tock

Thank goodness I don't have a good 'ole regular 9-5

I wouldn't make it if I did

Can you get fired for constant yawning?

I'm sure I would

tick-tock

I just want to get comfy
Why is my arm in the weirdest position?
Now I have to reposition my whole body again
tick-tock

That's the spot

I haven't been this comfy all night

tick-tock

I'm too exhausted to even think to myself anymore

tick-tock

tick-tock

t i c k-t o c k

I know some of you are wondering why don't I take sleeping pills. I don't take sleeping pills because I don't want to. I don't know what is in them and I would prefer something natural. I also don't like the thought of taking something that is going to basically paralyze me for a certain amount of time. That scares me and makes me anxious.

I am working on getting things together and trying new things to help me sleep (Shaklee is one of them). I will definitely update once things change.

Do you suffer from insomnia? Do you have any natural tips or tricks to get to sleep? Let's talk it out together....at the most obscure hours ;)

XOXO

Jen

p.s. Thanks to Emilee Barnes from Holistic Hub for helping me edit and fix up this post! :)

NatureBox! (2)

I received my second Naturebox in the mail 2 weeks ago. I should have blogged then, but at least I'm blogging now :)

I switched from the 5 snack box to the 3 snack box this month. My main reason is because, well, it's cheaper. Actually, I think that's my only reason. I still enjoy getting the snacks, but I don't need 5 (or 6, like they sent me) at a time (at least until I find that many I like and want to keep getting).

Anyway! On to my review :)

Just like last month, they sent me a bonus bag of snacks! This time it was something that was on my list! This box isn't filled with sweets like last month. This one of more savory, but some sweet.

*Their website has changed a bit since my last review, so the information I give here will be slightly different*

Apple Cinnamon Crave:

This contains peanuts, milk, tree nuts (almonds), and soy.

This is a really yummy snack. I actually got this snack because Tyler Oakley recommended it in one of his videos. The peanuts have a sweet taste to them, but my favorite part is the apple. It's like an apple chew (reminds me of a fruit roll up or fruit snacks), and so delicious. I would get a snack of just those. I'm not a fan of almonds that aren't covered in something, so those aren't the best, but they're still good.

Here is the page for this snack on the Naturebox website.

This snack expires on January 14, 2015
I give this snack 8/10


Kung Pao Pretzels:

This snack contains wheat and soy.

Okay. Here's the thing: I love pretzels. A lot. I especially love flavored pretzels, because it gives them a little something extra. I was super excited to see this snack, because it just sounded amazing. I can't handle spicy things, at all, but I didn't think these pretzels could be THAT spicy. Oh my word I could not have been more wrong. I'm sure there are some people out there who have tasted these pretzels and are laughing at me, but I cannot handle these at all. They are SO spicy. If they weren't as spicy as they are, I'm sure I would love these.

Here is the page for this snack on the Naturebox website. 

This snack expires on November 18, 2014
I give this snack 1/10


Watermelon Fruit Chews:

This is my favorite snack. I already have this in my pantry for my next shipment. Watermelon has been my favorite fruit like forever, so I was excited to try these. These fruit chews taste just like watermelon fruit snacks. They're amazingly delicious.

Here is the page for this snack on the Naturebox website. 

This snack expires on June 19, 2015
I give this snack 10/10


Cheddar and Onion Sunflower Kernels:

This snack contains milk.

I'm a big fan of cheddar and onion chips, and I'm a big fan of sunflower kernels. I don't know what taste I was really hoping for, but it definitely wasn't the taste I got. I really taste the onion in these, and a little bit of the sunflower kernel. They're not terrible, but they're not as good as I was hoping.

Here is the page for this snack on the Naturebox website.

This snack expires on October 27, 2014
I give this snack 6/10


Would you like to try Naturebox? For every box they deliver, they donate one meal through Feeding America to help the millions of Americans who go hungry. I have a personal code that you can enter at checkout if you decide to try! When you enter this code, you automatically get $10 off your first box! :) Go to Naturebox (click the link), choose your plan, enter your information, enter your billing information, and enter the code 4QKM-78A :)

If you can't get the code to work, let me know and I will try and figure something out! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! :)


Have you tried Naturebox yet? What is your favorite snack?


Click here for my first Naturebox review.
Click here for my third Naturebox review.
Click here for my forth Naturebox review.

XOXO

Jen