Would You Wear: Nail Wraps

If you haven’t been invited to a Jamberry party on Facebook, you’re not officially in the year 2015 because that’s pretty much all we do now.

Nail wraps are not really a new thing, but with the extreme re-popularity of nail polish and nail art and nail everything over the last few years, it’s unsurprising that nail wraps have gotten way more awesome and are currently one of the top choices for a long-lasting, eye-catching manicure. Jamberry, Scratch, Rad Nails… There are new brands of nail wraps popping up daily,

Le Happy

You’ve seen nail wraps in the stores for years, they’ve been hanging near the cuticle sticks with names like “nail strips” or “nail decals” – but they’ve never been this cool. Now there are many brands competing for you attention with awesome artist collaborations, vegan options, and tons of beautiful designs.

Rad Nails

Applying them takes about as long as painting your nails does – sometimes less. Jamberry nail wraps require some heat to cure the adhesive (which in turn makes them last for. ev. er.), but the rest seem to follow the same pattern of:

1. Clean hands.
2. Smooth nail.
3. Apply nail wrap.
4. Push it down a lot.
5. File off excess.
6. Apply topcoat.

In the Jamberry scenario, you would then use a hair dryer or special heat ray gun thing to finish the process. At the end of this post, there are video tutorials for several different brands – they explain much better than I could!

Nail wraps also blow open the doors of creativity when it comes to design. Instead of painstakingly and meticulously drawing hair-thin lines on your nails with paper clips or the edge of a credit card (I don’t know, I’m just guessing – I use carefully-folded-into-a-triangle pieces of paper…), these have digitally printed, picture-perfect designs that are ready to go. So previously unattainable things like lettering and symmetry are not even a thought. #flawless

One Nail to Rule Them All

I love having my nails painted, but they chip almost immediately, and I get discouraged easily once they’re flawed. I’ve tried lots of great top coats, base coats, and brands, but the fact that I’m working in the dirt, washing dishes, and living my life means my nails are gonna get knocked around. There’s no getting around it.

Allegedly, these nail wraps can last upwards of two weeks. Two weeks of the same vivid nails! An affordable manicure that looks like it’s salon-quality, but can cost about a quarter of the price – that’s something worth trying!

Where to Get Nail Wraps

Like I said earlier, they’re kind of everywhere right now, but as far as what people are actually wearing and swooning over, these brands stick out as top wrappers.

I’ve listed the number of appliqués and the price per package, along with a smattering of my favorite patterns and designs from the brand. Remember: you can extend the life of your nail wraps by using them like accent nails!

Scratch
Contains: 16 appliqués
Favorites: Pisces, Cells, Animal Party
Price: $12-$24

Compulsive Nails
Contains: 20 appliqués
Favorites: Nautical Zoe, Love Me Nots, Octopus
Price: $8-$9.50

Rad Nails
Contains: 20 Appliques
Favorites: You So Fine, Sick Nails, Betch, Sleigh Bells x Rad Nails
Price: $12

NCLA Nail Wraps
Contains: 26 appliqués / 2 full applications
Favorites: Summer of Love, Mother Knows Best, What Filter Should I Use?
Price: $16-$18

Jamberry
Contains: 18 appliques
Favorites: Marsala Mittens, Birds of a Feather, China Rose (Matte), Double Crossed (Matte), Galactic
Price: $15-$17.50

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips
Contains: 16 appliqués
Favorites: Love Letter, Geome-Trick, Lust-rous
Price: $9.99

Color Secrets Professional Series
Contains: 18 appliqués
Favorites: Star Bright, Glam Rock, Polished Princess
Price: $5.99

Nail Wrap Application Tutorials

So, my initial apprehension came from… well, how the hell do you apply them? My rudimentary list above wouldn’t be enough detail for me, so I definitely don’t expect anyone else to benefit from it. Let me hand the mic over to these experienced and extremely knowledgable YouTube beauty gurus so they can explain how to apply nail wraps, and how to make them last.

YouTube: LeighAnnSays / Leigh Ann

YouTube: ReNails / Renee Airo

YouTube: Above Rubies Studio / Megan Elizabeth

What’s your take?

I know there are tons of people who have been turned on to nail wraps for months (years?) by now — educate me! What has your experience been like, have you learned any tips or tricks? Impart your wisdom, save a life. (The life of a nail wrap, that is.)