#ManiMonday: Jamberry Update.

Heyyy cupcakes!

It's that time of the week again where I bring you #ManiMonday! -- except, again, its on Tuesday. >.< This time it is on Tuesday only because I was sick Monday. Blehk. This is actually an update on last weeks #ManiMonday where I featured Jamberry nails. I wanted to bring to you my final results a week later! Soooo, here we go!

 

Here you have it folks: my jams. I know these look a little worse for wear but let me break down for you everything that has happened in the past week since I put these bad boys on:

+ dishes

+ cooking

+ baths

+ construction (including dropping a TON of goo-gone onto my nails)
+ anxiety ridden nail biting - which is where pretty much all of the damage came from

+ blogging & video editing

Honestly, if you look down towards my cuticles, they are still in amazing shape! No peeling, no lifting, nothing! & I'm fairly certain if I didnt have a ton of anxiety attacks & chew the heck out of my nails they would still be in perfect condition. I think Jamberries are great for long wear & especially if you have zero free time to keep your nails touched up through-out the week.

I can't wait until I get more Jamberries to add to my collection. (: I will say though, that I do miss changing my nail polish constantly, but this is great since I will be away for my sisters summer camp for a week & I don't want chipped nails through the whole thing.

I will be hosting a party in September, so stay tuned for the link so you guys can get in on some neat deals! Who else has a jamberry obsession? 

#ManiMonday

Hey cupcakes! So, do you ever notice that Mani Monday always ends up being posted on Tuesdays? I think I should rename it TipsTuesday? haha. Totally kididng! Anyhow! This weeks Mani Monday is actually divided into two parts. This post & then the post that will be posted next week. Why? Because I am wearing JAMBERRY NAIL WRAPS. This is something that I have never tried before & my cousin just started selling them so I wanted to try them out before my party with her in September (I will do a blog post as it gets closer to the party date for all you loverlies to join in on the fun!). 

*DISCLAIMER: I bought all of the Jams by myself. My cousin did not provide any of these to me. My reviews are all my own. Seriously. Cousin or not - the following is how I feel about these nail stickers.

First things first, Jamberry's cost $15 per sheet & most people get about 3-4 manicures (& 1 pedicure) from the sheet... that estimates about $3 a manicure - you can't even find a good nail salon for that price! I was at first skeptical because of the price but my cousin (who I trust very much... especially when it comes to anything nail related because she's sort of a snob when it comes to her manis. hahaha. Sorry Cryss, it's true!) swore by these little things.

Jamberry Nail Wraps are marketed as the no-dry, long wearing sticker wrap that is safe for the environment & your nails. With no harsh chemicals, I have seen people use them on their babies (my cousin saw a fellow consultant use them on their 10 month old!) & even their DOGS. The average jamicure is said to last between 10-14 days; depending on how fast your invisible cuticle grows back. So, I guess we will all see how it holds up when next Mani Monday rolls around.

I ended up buying 4 sheets & the little mini heater... It set me back about $62 & one of those Jam-sheets were FREE.

My first order.

On my tips this week is the Mermaid Tails which are a gorgeous ombre silvery-nude to a gorgeous sea green that then reflect like fish scales. &, while we're on the subject of scales, the wrap has a mermaid tail design on them. Simply gorg!

I had my cousin put on my Jamicure since I had never used them before & I wanted to make sure that they were being applied properly so I could give you guys an honest run down of how these actually are. I have also include the How-To video my cousin & I recorded while she was doing my nails. I do want to apologize in advance for the intense background noise. My cousin-in-laws & uncles were fixing my cousin deck outside the kitchen window. & the kiddos didn't want to stay quiet through a majority of the video.

Have you guys used Jamberry before? What are your thoughts? If you are interested in purchasing your own set of Jams, you can do so through my cousins link: here. & don't forget to show me your tips using the hashtag: #ManiMonday 

#ManiMonday | Revlon Meet Maybelline

Welcome back to another edition of #ManiMonday! It has been a loooooooooong while since I have done a MM so I figured I would start this off with a bright, beautiful pink (Casino Royale by Revlon) & a sweet, tealy blue (Tenacious Teal edit: Urban Utopia by Maybelline). I did 2 coats of each color - both had an amazing drying time. One coat of the Revlon woud have been okay, but I am so use to doing 2 that it is out of habit. The Maybelline nailpolish did require 2 coats but both were amazing!

Both polishes are naked with no undies (for those who have NO idea what that means: no top coat or base coat)... however I did apply a coat of Essies Apricot Nail Oil & let that soak into my nail beds for a while before applying the polishes (my nails have been so gross due to moving & generally not taking care of them)... I dont think that has anything to do with how the colors applied or their staying power, but its just a thought.

So, my gorgeous cupcakes, whats on your nails this week?

DIY: Nail Bleaching

FOREWARNING: Heavily picture ladened.

So Valentines Day came & went so I decided to do a little home pampering. I stripped my nails of my polish & I was thoroughly disgusted by the site on my nails. They look like smokers nails! & I don't even smoke! So I scoured Pinterest for the tutorial I saw on how to "bleach" your nails at home. Here is the original article. Okay, so it's not really an article.. it's more of a picture with caption I found. Same thing, right? Anyway! I did a nice little mani spa day type... thing. ^.^;; & I took some horrendously ugly pictures of my nails before the treatment. I want to warn you, this picture is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned.

 LEFT: With flash.
RIGHT: Without flash.

See? Horrid. I am ashamed. *hangs head* -.-;   & that, my dear loverlies, is why I so desperately needed this "bleaching" treatment. No more diddly dallying around.. lets tackle this monstrousity.
 

First things first, you're going to need your supplies.

- Peroixde
- Baking soda
- a teaspoon
- a plate or bowl
- Nail Polish Remover & cotton balls {not shown}
- a small cup to soak your nails in {also not shown}

 

Next you're going to take a little baking soda - I used about a teaspoon. The picture on Pinterest said a tablespoon but you definitely don't need that much. Then mix a little peroixde in to create a thick paste.

 Now here comes the fun part: glob a massive amount {ok, not really.. just enough to cover your nails} onto the whole nail bed & let it sit for 5 minutes.

 5 minutes later.

Scrape the goop off & then take some nail polish remover to my nails to get any residue off. I then decide to take this a step further & soak my nails in peroxide for 2 minutes.

 Dry off those tips & they're all ready looking better!

Now it's time to finish off my slightly better looking - but still yellow. Blah! - tips by clipping, filing, & polishing.

 MIDDLE: With Flash.
RIGHT: Without Flash.

I must say they do look better but still are yellow ):  I will do this probably once a week until I get shiny pink cuticles again. (:  I did follow up with some cuticle cream afterwards & then painted my nails with my Valentines Day mani {post here}. What do you ladies think? Have you tried this technique before or do you have another "bleaching" trick?

Until next time!

xox.