Saturday, December 13, 2014

Minx vs Jamberry vs Polish: The Ultimate Showdown

I recently tried out some Minx nail wraps. Each set comes with two strips of 8 wraps in different sizes so I had a few left over and thought it was the perfect opportunity to do a wear test and compare them to some Jamberry samples I've been hoarding for way too long. I've been really curious about the claims that these wraps can last up to two weeks. I put it to the test so you all can see how they compare. I only made it a week (that's a really long time for me to wear the same nails!) but I think that was long enough for testing purposes. I've also polished some nails with regular polish for the comparison.


Since my Minx wraps were definitely Christmas-y I tried to pick out the most festive of my Jamberrys to go along with it. I've duplicated the designs to the very best of my ability for the polished nails- meaning yeah, it's kind of half-assed. I painted my right hand with my left hand so the lines are a bit shaky and I didn't get the detail I might have the other way around. Also worth noting, in the excitement of new nail wraps I forgot to apply my usual base coat on the polished nails which probably increased the wear factor a bit for those.

Application:
Minx wins for: being thinner and more flexible. It was much easier to flatten out the wrinkes. My Jamberry had a huge gap at the top that no amount of heating or smoothing would get rid of.
Polish wins for: having no wrinkles at all and being generally easier to apply. I'm much more used to applying polish so even with the drying time, which is minimal with fast dry topcoat, I find it to be more relaxing and less of a hassle to apply than either of the wraps.


Wear:
Minx wins for: complexity of design and finish. The shiny finish held up all week where polish got scratched, chipped and dulled over time.
Jamberry wins for: being most resistant to tip wear. As you can see that giant gap is still at the top of the nail, but to its credit it didn't start to peel off. The stiffness that bothered me during application was actually a credit to the wear factor. The stiffer material didn't wear as badly at the tips and was less sticky than the Minx which tended to catch on fabrics.
Polish wins for: ease of removal. When the week was all over with the polish wiped off easily with some acetone while I had to do an oil soak and gingerly peel up the nail wraps. Removing the wraps ultimately led to some damage of my nail surface despite my extra care and gentleness.

My final thoughts- while there are some definite benefits to the wraps, I just don't find the process to be as relaxing or enjoyable as painting my nails with regular polish. Plus the tip wear was pretty comparable in Minx vs polish. It's not quite compelling enough for me to spend a ton of money on wraps when I have so many bottles of polish already. They're a fun change from the norm, but it's too late for me. I'm already too far down the polish hole to make wraps a regular thing in my nail routine.

What are you thoughts on nail wraps? Have you had a different/better experience? If so I'd love to hear your tips!

12 comments:

  1. You obviously need to watch a few more videos to learn the right way to apply a Jamberry wrap.

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    1. My thoughts exactly.

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    2. This attitude is exactly why most of the nail community can't stand Jamberry. We might be able to overlook the fact that they're fussy to apply even for people who know what they're doing, but dealing with the Jam-fans pretty much kills it.

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  2. I want to apologize on behalf of the Jam community. I promise we are not all the same. :(

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  3. I agree with Brandy, not all Jamberry ladies are like that. I promise. And I would say, most of us ladies know that Jamberry isn't something most people master first time they apply, much like painting your nails. I have painted my nails many, many times and it still looks like crap when I am done. At first glance, it appears you have curved nails which makes for an extra challenge when applying, which resulted in those bubbles which is not what proper application should look like. If your final judgement on Jamberry is based on this one experience, I would encourage you to give it another try. I would be happy to send your more samples, or even a full sheet of wraps for that matter, if you would be willing to give them another try with some different application tips/tricks to accommodate for your curved nails. :) I know that some ladies just love to paint their nails so will never change from that, I totally respect that if that is your case. :) But if you would consider it again, I would personally love to give you the help, attention and care you deserve from a Jamberry consultant. Not a judgmental comment that is spouted out from an anonymous pseudonym. Your nail art is super impressive and would love to help you add to what you have as options for nail art <3

    Much love,
    Jena

    www.onebeautifullife.jamberry.com

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    1. Oh an my email is onebeautifullife@live.com if you would like to take me up on my offer! ;) xoxo

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  4. I agree with Jena! Please give the Jams another chance! My first set fell off the same day, when you learn more tips and tricks it gets easier and easier! I can now do my nails in 20 minutes start to finish and they last at least 2 weeks or more on my nails, and as a stay at home mom of 3 kids under 5 that impresses me! Feel free to email me as well if you'd like anymore tips or extras :) angelinaranee@hotmail.com https://angelinaranee.jamberry.com/us/en/shop/party/home/a0f22730-0abf-4a3d-963c-c9571f5b044e

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  5. I want to say a big thank you to the super nice Jamberry reps out there (especially you ladies who took the time to comment here). I really appreciate you guys and your helpful and sweet comments. I actually have a few sets in my stash, but I like changing my polish so often I don't typically want them to last that long. I'm saving them for sometime when I know I'll want to wear them a while and I might just be asking for some tips when that time comes. :)

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  6. Look up cold application process or rice bag application on YouTube. Also if you have a cuticle spoon you can heat that and use it to iron out your creases. And always pick a wrap that is smaller than the nail itself.

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  7. Dear Nerdy for Nails (love that name!)
    Thank you for this review. I had actually never heard of Minx nails until this week and I have never tried them.
    I have very curvy nails like yours - we do have the extra challenge of bubbles and wrinkles on the sides of the nails when applying nail wraps. It took me some time to master the best Jamberry nail wrap application technique, but this is the video that helped me out the most. The lady in this video explains the process very well in just 5 minutes:

    https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fm.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dyoutu.be%26v%3DbzO_PTMS-HA&h=XAQF6qxdX

    Jamberry has improved their product by leaps and bounds over the last year and I wanted to mention that the wraps now come in several different finishes, some of which are thinner (matte, satin, luster) than the original glossy finish like the one you tested here, without compromising their integrity or longevity. (The thicker wraps finishes are glossy, sparkle, metallic, and clear)
    Now I sell Jamberry to support my addiction to the hundreds of fun designs! ;D
    I hope this helps you to, at least, use the wraps that you already own :)
    Please feel free to contact me with any questions about Jamberry. <3

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  8. Jamberry wraps are have to be hot, the more you heat, the more flexible they become which also fixes the issues with bubbles. To take them off use you regular remover, break the seal and gently rub the remover back and forth under the wrap... they'll come off super easy and you don't need to muck around with oils and what have you..

    Please please please give Jamberry another go, like anything you probably won't master them straight away especially without tips and tricks to get there. Personally, it took me awhile to master them without the help of a great consultant... but there are lots here that will give you great advice :-)

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