And the winner is....

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and other holidays. Did you get all the presents you were hoping for? I didn't really have a list of stuff I wanted, but I loved all the gifts I got. My sister has an amazing ability to pick the perfect presents for me, even when it's something I didn't know I wanted. I'd been looking for a shopping cart for ages but didn't want plaid so she bought me a gorgeous giraffe print cart, a poodle brooch (I absolutely adore poodles!), and a couple things from Bath & Body Works. The cup cake hand sanitizers smell delicious. 

I've also wanted to post on here for months what I bought her for Christmas, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise because I know she would read it. So, for the past three months, I have had a bottle of Orly Galaxy Girl hidden away. I don't think I have to tell any of you how hard it was to not open that up! I was tempted to use it for myself, but I was good. Anyway, I'll have swatch photos of that as soon as my sister changes her mani.

Now, on to the giveaway winner. The winning entry was number 50, Missbobloblaw of Talking Momcents.  I've already sent her an email, so she has until the 29th to respond or I will have to choose a new winner.

Christmas NOTD 8: Snowflakes & Snowmen

I had a few requests to do either snowmen or snowflakes. So I have two versions to share--stamping and freehand.

First up, SH Pacific Blue as a base with SH Celeb City stamped on using m37 for the snowmen and BM14 for snowflakes. Then I sponged on SH Disco Ball. 

I also did freehand on my sister's nails. This is over China Glaze For Audrey. After painting on the designs with white polish, I used loose iridescent glitter. Clearly, I need to practice freehand nail art.

Christmas NOTD 7: Christmas Trees

 I decided to do Christmas tree nails, but rather than stamp or freehand the trees, today's nails are just inspired by Christmas trees. I used China Glaze Jolly Holly as the base and stamped on Color Club Worth the Risque using image plate BM11 for tinsel.

 

 And since Wendy suggested I do a glow-in-the-dark Christmas mani, I used Sally Hansen Glow in the Dark for the lights. I couldn't get a picture that showed the dots glowing but how cool is this bottle shot?

Last, I used clear polish to add rhinestone ornaments. It turned the silver holo a bit yellow, but I'm not sure if that's better or worse.

I completely forgot to take a photo of Jolly Holly alone until I was done my left hand but luckily I got a picture of my right hand (at a bad angle, sorry). I don't wear green nail polish very often but this colour is gorgeous. Dark green full of green shimmer with just a bit of golden shimmer as well. It's a perfect Christmas green.

Christmas NOTD 6: Bells

I'm sorry I've been a bit absent lately. I've been busy with work. I normally get one day off a week and I don't mind working six days in a row. But just the way the schedule worked out the past couple weeks, I had the Monday off of one week and the Sunday of the next so I was supposed to work twelve straight days. Then, this past Sunday, which should have been my day off, I ended up taking someone's shift. So, I'm now on my fourteenth straight day and I have five more to go. But that's enough complaining.

This is Color Club Revvvolution, a holographic charcoal/black. I didn't see the holo effect very strongly though. Maybe I got a bad bottle? Even still, I like the colour and it went on like a dream. One smooth coat was enough for opacity, but, like always, I did an extra to be sure.

Christmas NOTD 5: Candy Canes

Today I have candy cane nails. This is super easy. Just Wet n Wild French White Creme and loose red glitter. It looks kinda orange-red in this photo, but it's actually a true red. I ended up with glitter EVERY WHERE. But a co-worker complimented my nails and said they were very festive, so I guess it was worth it. I think if I were to do candy canes again, I would probably just use a red glitter polish for the stripes. And maybe add in some thin green stripes as well.

Christmas NOTD 4: China Glaze GR8

I've been trying to use Christmas colours for my nails this month, but I just bought a bunch of holographic polishes that I want to try out. So, today's nails are a compromise of the two. Here's China Glaze GR8 from the OMG collection. Gold is a Christmas colour, right? The holo effect in these pictures is pretty subtle, but in bright light, this polish really comes to life.

Christmas NOTD 3: Gingerbread Men

This design turned into a fail. It was supposed to be gingerbread men, but they look more like amorphic alien blobs. That sometimes happens when I try to freehand nail art. I might try these again; I haven't decided. Anyway, I wanted to share this anyway because I like the idea of gingerbread men nails, even if it didn't turn out so well.

I used Ardene Barely There as a base, Rimmel Hot Cocoa for the gingerbread men, Wet n Wild Black Creme for the buttons, and SH Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away for the eyes. I forgot mouths, which is another reason they look so wrong. :/

Christmas NOTD 2: China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses

I know most of you have seen this colour a million times in the past few weeks, but it really is gorgeous so I had to show it here. As soon as I saw the China Glaze holiday collection, there were two colours that I knew I must have. The first was Mistletoe Kisses. It's silvery-green glitter in green base. I'm not usually a big green fan, but this is a perfect polish for Christmas. This is three coats (though I probably could have got away with two).

Photos after the jump.

Christmas NOTD 1: Orly Moonlit Madness

I thought I'd start my month of Christmas themed manis with a simple one. This is Orly Moonlit Madness, a classic dark red full of red shimmer. These pics don't quite show how deep and rich this colour really is, but the flash photo is closest.

Swatches after the jump.

Christmas Giveaway--CLOSED

I've been planning to have a giveaway when I hit 50 followers, but I just can't wait. So to thank my followers for their support, I've decided to have a Christmas giveaway instead. I guess you're all curious what you can win, right?

The prizes:

Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure

elf Liquid Liner in Silver

NYX loose glitter in Disco Ball

Claire's gold Eye Glitter

elf Matte Finisher

nail rhinestone kit

I might add more prizes if I see anything else that catches my eye.

Now for the rules:

1. You must be a follower through GFC. Comment with your follower name and email address. (1 entry)

As an extra thank-you to my existing followers, they will each receive one extra entry.

2. Post this giveaway on your blog, either in a post, your sidebar, or a separate giveaway page. (2 entries)

Include a picture for an extra entry.

3. Be a follower on twitter @TheSassyBeauty. Leave your twitter id. (1 entry)

4. Retweet this message (1 entry):

Enter to win Christmas giveaway including Hidden Treasure @TheSassybeauty http://bit.ly/eNwcpt

5. Suggest a Christmas themed mani for me to do. It can be as vague or detailed as you want. And I'll choose some of them to feature this month as NOTDs. (1 entry)

And the fine print:

You can leave your entries either all in one comment, or each in a separate comment.

All prizes are brand new and purchased by me for this giveaway.

The deadline for entries is December 22nd.

This contest is open internationally. I will ship with the cheapest option if the winner is not in Canada.

The winner will be chosen using random.org and contacted by me. I will also post their name on the blog and twitter. They will have 3 days to respond or I will choose another winner.