well it seems Im not the only one with problems with the Jamberry wraps - I just found this blog with comparisons and she had the same problems I had with them - but she did show some other wraps that worked better so I might have to try some of these. 
http://embracingbeauty.com/2014/10/17/nail-wraps-review-sally-hansen-jamberry-more/

I also found another blog with Jamberry testing and again the same problems as I have had so I am not alone - 
http://curlsarefromheavenblog.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/jamberry-nail-wraps-left-very-bad-taste.html

I will leave those to you to read and make your own conclusions!

Christmas nail wraps and toes this time too!

I bought some nice Christmas wraps and have been waiting to use them - I bought the Jamberry Pointsettia ones - they were Christmassy without being over the top or too kiddy - I ama bit worried these ones will peel off to a glittery layer like the Catch Fire ones but will have to wait and see. At least I can wear them after Christmas if they stay on and not look strange.

So I did my nails the other day after having my nails naked for a few days - after having wraps on for the last 6 weeks off and on- my nails were ok but a bit soft so Im thinking its good to let them have a break - and of course as soon as I took them off my nails all broke and I am down to very short nails now.

Luckily the poinsettia ones look ok on short nails - some designs and colours look best on long nails but these look nice on any length.  
I think they look great esp with the alternate design each fingernail.

Then I thought I would bite the bullet and do my toes as well. 

Now usually I can wear nail polish on my toes and it lasts well so I wasnt going to bother but as I had the wraps left over I thought I would try them - it was fiddly I have to say, the big toe has its own wrap but for the other nails you have to cut up one of the largest wraps to size and its a pain. I had to use my curved nail scissors to round the ends and I do have weird shaped toenails so some were a bit strange to do. But at least no one will be looking too closely as they are too far away! Maybe next time I would do the big toe with a wrap and paint the smaller ones with polish to match. 
But worth trying to see how it goes. So far I have had the wraps on my fingers for a few days and they are peeling up at the edges as per usual - the toenail ones I didnt even bother to heat when I applied them as it was too hard to try and use the heater on them. Will see how they last...

Chix Nail Wraps

I bought some UK made wraps to try out and compare to the Jamberry ones - they are Chix brand http://chixnails.co.uk/ and come with the same instructions as Jamberry but much less in cost - even with postage from the UK to Australia. I bought 3 sets and it only cost me around $34 total. Worth trying out (though you only get one manicure from one set unless you want to cut up the toe ones). 

They took just over 2 weeks to arrive and I had to try them out when they did - I put on the Pink Gold Shimmer ones - I noticed that they are a more stretchy vinyl than the Jams so easier to put on and almost shrink into shape on the nail too. I will see how they last - fitted on 10-12-15.

I have 2 other designs to try in this brand too. Will keep you up to date with these ones!

Nail wraps - a different brand

Ok so seeing Im not having much luck with the Jamberry wraps I thought it couldnt hurt to try another type - found a seller on eBay - near the Gold Coast who had wraps they say are made in Australia. Not a huge range and I would love to find out if they are really made in Oz or not but thought I would try them - bought the Silver Starlight ones - nice glittery and for the price of $9 with postage included, I figured I couldnt really lose - even if they only lasted a few days like the Jamberry ones - it was worth trying.

Well I put them on 1-12-15 so far so good - still a bit of peeling at the edges but not as bad as some of the Jams! This seller has quite a few glittery coloured ones so if these work I might even get some more - I will do a comparison with the glittery Jamberry ones I bought too - I got the purple Stargazing wraps and have yet to try them. One thing I did do with these cheaper ones - as it was in the instructions (and Jamberry dont say to do this) is to coat the wraps with clear nail polish and do the edge as well. 

Perhaps this is the secret? I have also been told by a Jamberry rep that the double layer type wraps - Gatsby for example - should be applied cold and then a quick heat on the edges to seal. Completely different instructions to the usual ones on the pack though. I think Jamberry are a bit like Microsoft "here is a good idea, lets release it and let people pay money for it and work out the bugs as people find them - that way people pay us and we use them as our testers - *evil laugh*" 
One thing that annoyed me though - after I had  removed my useless Gatsby wraps, my very longest nail split and broke and now is not as nice looking. I have to say the wraps do protect my nails from splitting and breaking and are making them very nice looking - they certainly help them rather than hinder the growing process. 
I will also be testing some UK wraps called Chix - will see how they go when they eventually get here - they dont seem to be in Australia at all so have to wait for the slow post from the UK to get them - will post here when I test them out. 

I still have heaps of Jams to try out so will keep going and eventually might even get them to stay on for more than a few days too!
Toes might be tested too as I have quite a range of larger wraps left that I need to do something with, its summer and I wear sandals so might as well I guess!

Update 9-12-15, quite happy with the Aussie made wraps - the silver glitter ones - they lasted well and due to the colour, any wear was not noticable so I kept them on for about 8 days before I took them off. I have ordered a new gold and a red glitter in the same brand to try as well.

Jamberry wraps - the story continues

Well Im not having much luck with these wraps - I put on some lovely Christmassy red ones - called Catch Fire - loved the look of these - put them on, on the Friday (20-11-15) as I had a market on the Saturday and wanted my nails to look nice - which they did - for about 2 days...                                                                                                                                                     
Then they started to lift on the edges and got so annoying I peeled them off but instead of the whole thing coming off - most left a nice silver glittery wrap on my nails - I didnt mind this - it looked quite good but it wasnt the red and gold that I had applied! 

So I left these on for a few days till one started to come off and I peeled them all off and decided for the next weekend I would try Gatsby. 
(27-11-15)

These are lovely but do look like you have painted your nails with Liquid Paper!
Now I have to say - I am applying the wraps correctly - I have the Jamberry heater (I found the hairdryer too hard to use) - I wash my hands and nails well before hand, I use alcohol to clean each nail after making sure the cuticle is pushed back. I heat and apply as per the instructions and I have watched heaps of Jamberry videos and looked at all the tips and tricks for applying them - I bought a rubber ended cuticle pusher to seal around the edges and I do everything as its supposed to be done - I have even stopped picking my teeth with my nails to avoid damaging them!


BUT they still peel off on me!!!!!
This is after less than 24 hours! I am not rough on my nails - if I was I wouldnt be able to grow them to any length - these were applied as per Jamberry instructions but are still peeling on the edges after numerous heating and sealing to start with to try and avoid this! The first one started to peel after I scratched my face with my nail - hardly a rough thing to do that would cause a quality item to lift?

So in the end I have to peel them off - but they dont come off completely - they leave a pale layer of shimmer with a  hint of the gold stripping - nice but not what I paid for!

So what will I try next weekend - so far I am only getting a couple of days from these wraps! Not really impressed still but I have a stash to try so maybe I will find one type that stays on longer than others?