Be of Good Cheer - Holiday Nail Art

[left] Lee Howell creates a beautifully detailed Frosty the Snowman. [right] Lee Howell gives Santa a moment of rest in this peaceful painting.

[left] Debbie Alford of Jackson, Mich., uses bright contrasting colors and black outlines to make an iconic Santa. [right] Yoko Dykes of Marysville, Wash., opts for an unusual color combination in her holiday floral design.

[left to right] Best Gift Ever: Elsbeth Schuetz for Orly International ecreates the beautiful blue box and logo that sends every woman’s heart skipping. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Dykes lets the snow fall in this simple blue and white design. Notice the detail in each snowflake. Bright Star - Angi Wingle, an educator for Creative Nail Design in Etters, Pa., uses polish to create this partial star design. All Dressed Up - Alford’s penguin wards off the cold with a holiday hat.

[clockwise from top left] This design by Sayako Sako of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, features crisp plaid and gold details. Lee Howell creates this detailed and painterly penguin using paint and a steady hand. Clients can carry the party with them wherever they go with this built-in streamer design by Sako. Dykes uses a lot of sparkle to make this simple design mesmerizing.  Sako creates teensy acrylic candy canes for this 3-D sparkly design. Sheryl Macauley, an educator for Creative Nail Design in Bakersfield, Calif., creates this shard mosaic design using broken bits of plastic.

[from top left, clockwise] Macauley creates this rhinestone mosaic design using irregular shapes of clear rhinestones. Wingle uses super-fine mesh and a clear tip to create this design. Wingle turns a purple nail into a crystal-coated confection using purple polish and crystals. Wingle uses polish to create a peacock feather set in stark relief with a bright silver nail.  Julie Goveia, an educator in Mesa, Ariz., offers a bubbly silver nail with matching beads as a subtle option.  Wingle gives a plain clear tip some bite with a coating of clear crystal bits.

[left] French Cardinal. Lee Howell paints a minute cardinal and wreath on this traditional French nail.  [right] Candy Canes Lane. A traditional pink-and-white French gets the holiday treatment with a couple of candy canes in this design by Wood.

[top] Not a traditional holiday color, teal green works well in this holiday light design by Wood. [middle] Wood sprinkles snow on this lovely bough to complement the frosted base coat. [bottom] Red and green stripes and gold glitter liven up this black nail by Wood.

[top] Wood adds depth to her holly with white highlights and a mint-green background. [bottom] Alford uses acrylic paint to create this bold cardinal design.

[clockwise from top left] A champagne hue makes the holly pop on these Sako designs. Wood’s holiday light design is simple and sweet on a gold nail. Goveia creates a subtle gold-on-gold leaf design highlighted by gold beads and rhinestones.

[top] Alford takes the cookies out of the oven with this copper gingerbread man design.  [bottom] Bernadette Petrone, a Creative Nail Design educator in Cranston, R.I., uses polish to create this red and gold holiday design.

Howell illustrates a holiday beyond a child's wildest wishes in this mural design.