Jessica's Jams | What's on My Nails Lately?

So, as a new Jamberry consultant (well, I guess two months isn't "new"... but I will say that I did get promoted twice in that time period, so yay me?), I've loved doing my nails again. Honestly, I was never a nail polish girl for myself. I used to get so frustrated and impatient. However, I can't go back to polish right now because I'm obsessed. Here's a few of my manicures lately.

Teal Mini Polka and the February Stylebox Exclusive

My cuticles look horrible on this one, but this one is my current manicure. I took that photo last Sunday, and my nails are still on. I'm itching to change them, but they're still hanging on, so I'm going to keep them for another few days. The multicolored wrap is the February Stylebox Exclusive (Stylebox is a subscription box from Jamberry -- usually you get two wraps), and the other is the Teal Mini Polka. A very spring-y combo in an attempt to will Spring to get here!

Love Spell

This was my Valentine's day Manicure... the wrap is called Love Spell and it is even prettier in person. It's a great seller and it looks awesome on the nails. The finish on it is a sparkle, which is even more eye-catching than my regular Jams. I got a lot of compliments on it, which was so fun. :)

Boysenberry and Boysenberry Chevron

Love me some purple! I wore this with my purple chevron scarf to a birthday party last month and I loved this mani! It lasted me about two weeks, and some of the chevron wraps were literally falling off my nails before I finally removed them. So pretty.

Quilted: Day 1 and Day 8

So, Quilted is without a doubt one of my favorite wraps. It's so pretty and so fun and just funky enough to get away with without them being distracting. Plus, purple. My hands are horribly unmoisturized, but this was another mani that lasted me a good 10-14 days. 

Reminisce Matte

And my mom wanted a Jamicure of her own, so I hooked her up with some Reminisce. They lasted a little over a week and a half for her, and she seemed to really enjoy them! She's been such an awesome supporter of my little mini-business, so it's been cool to have her as a support system.

If you're interested in Jamberry, check out my Facebook page and my website... I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you've got!

2015 Year to Date Favorites

It's been an age. I know. I'm finally past one of two certification exams, and I am over the hump of the semester that is mid-terms. So I'm able to chat about some of my favorite things! 2015 has been a year of lazy, no-makeup blah-ness. However, I have managed to try a few new things and rekindle my love for some tried and true favorites.

Jamberry Nails Cuticle Oil: Okay, so since I have started to make a little side business selling nail wraps, I've realized that I should probably take care of my hands a little better. One of those ways is with Jamberry cuticle oil. I am obsessed with this stuff. I don't get nearly as many hangnails (are those the painful skin cracks on your hands right by your nail? Or is the hangnail the actual hanging nail?) and the dry patches around my nails are going away. I usually use it at least once a day, but have been aiming for twice. It's an incredible value for $10. I've used it twice a day for a month, give or take a few days, and it's not even a quarter of the way gone yet. I got this in my starter kit, or else I wouldn't have really tried it... it's incredible, though, and I'm glad I did.

Neutrogena Moisture Smooth Color Stick: Juicy Peach is my favorite lip product right now. First, it smells divine. Second, it's just tinted enough to be subtle, but it gives a pop of color too. It's also really easy to re-apply. And it really does moisturize! I'm not sure of the ingredients on it, but it doesn't make my lips thirsty for more like some lipsticks or lip glosses do, or even some chapsticks. I'm always tempted to wear it to bed like a chapstick.

Davines OI All in one Milk: So, I tried this from a Birchbox way back in October or November and I hated it. But recently I was staying at my boyfriend's place, and I picked it up off of his counter. I used my normal shampoo and conditioner, so I figured I'd give it one more shot. It didn't weigh my hair down at all, and it made it very soft. I loved the way my hair looked that day when I went to work. I've now ruled that part of my hair care routine out and determined that it was either the shampoo or conditioner from the Davines line that weighed my hair down. I'm glad I gave it another shot.

Benefit Moisture Prep Toning Lotion: You guys. I went without this for like two months when my little starter sample ran out and I was so sad. But I sucked it up and spent the $30 and my skin feels much softer now. When I find a skin care routine that works, I've just gotta go with it. No more procrastinating, no more "I'll try something else." Just go with what works, for the most part. Of course, I'll try new things, but when it comes down to it, I need my previously tested awesome toner lotion.

Clarisonic Mia 2: So I love my boyfriend with all of my heart and soul, but I'm certain he is to blame for the death of my first Clarisonic Mia. He wasn't very careful of the little shelf it was on, and kept knocking it over. Every time I heard that "thud", my heart dropped. I tried to charge it one day, and it wouldn't charge. I told my mom, hoping that she had paperwork or something on it, but on Christmas morning, I had a brand new Clarisonic :) I'm so happy! It's no different than the original, really, other than the color, but it works wonderfully and I am grateful to have it again. I'm trying to make more of a consistent commitment to my skin and my beauty routine, so this is a great way to start that!

I promise I'll be back in the next day or so with more posts from the past month or two. It's good to be back!

Product Review | Jamberry Nails

Okay, so I have a lot to catch up on when it comes to blogging. But this is one thing I wanted to share with the one person (two, maybe) who reads this blog. I went through my Julep phase, and I loved how well the polish held up. But since my Julep obsession began, I've found another way to do my nails that isn't as costly and lasts way longer: Jamberry.

Jamberry nails are vinyl, heat activated nail wraps. They come in over 300 designs, and they last up to two weeks on fingers and six on toes.  I was really skeptical at first, honestly. I went to a friend's Jamberry party and I was like, "This is dumb." The part that ended up hooking me was how inexpensive they were. I paid $30 for a salon manicure that chipped the next day. These have lasted me an incredible amount of time (the picture above shows the nails I'm still wearing six days later). Also, I was amazed at how cute the designs were. I bought some Christmas nails (buy 3, get 1 free) and tried them on, and suddenly I was really excited about the product.

Then, I went to another party. I was hesitant to go, because I just bought four sheets of nails (HOW MANY NAIL WRAPS DOES ONE GIRL NEED? Answer: a ton), but I went anyway. This party was a 4 day, Facebook party with games, fun, and goofing around, rather than a direct salesy pitch. I signed up to be a consultant at the end of that party. I wanted to do that! I wanted to throw Facebook parties and have fun with my friends and show them a product I really loved. They didn't have to sell me on the actual product again: just the opportunity.

But, an actual review of the nails, because I can't be biased here:

1) They're easy to put on! Especially with a rubber cuticle pusher and a mini heater. A blow dryer works fine, but it's so easy to have both hands free.
2) They really do last a long time! I've had a set on for longer than two weeks before. And they always last me longer than nail polish does. I put a set on recently, gave the dog a bath, did dishes, and cooked dinner, and they held up unbelievably well!
3) The designs are wicked adorable. I had my reindeer nails around Christmas time, and my (cute) ugly sweater nails until the New Year. I also busted out some sparkly birthday nails on my birthday!

I hope this business goes well for me because I truly believe in the product and I love it. I wouldn't even get into this business if I didn't love the wraps. So, I'm pretty grateful to have a product that works so well for me that can help me pay for grad school, and whatever else may come later.