Easter Nails: 12 Easter Nail Ideas, from Speckled Eggs to Bunny Ears

Easter nails are usually pastel: lilac, pale pink, powder blue, mint and yellow, the colours of dyed eggs and spring flowers. Keep the Easter reference to one small detail, such as speckles, a pastel French tip or a pearl, and the manicure will still suit the office after the holiday.

The 12 Easter nail ideas below go from grown-up pastels to chicks, daisies and bunnies, with beginner steps for speckles and gingham at the end.

Pastel Easter nails: 7 grown-up ideas

If silver jewellery suits you, choose lilac and blue; if gold does, yellow and warm pink. Chalky, greyish pastels can make winter-pale hands appear dull and deep skin ashy. Pick clear shades and build them in thin coats, as our guide to painting pastels without streaks explains.

1. Speckled egg nails

Speckled eggs are the subtlest Easter motif, because from a distance the speckles read as texture. For a song thrush's egg, scatter tiny flecks of 001 Black over two or three thin coats of 109 Sky, an airy light blue. Kept sparse, they're office-friendly; over a different pastel on each nail, they make a basket of eggs.

2. Pastel Easter French tips

Over two thin, cured coats of 021 Cloud, a milky white, draw the smile line in 022 Lilac or Sky with a fine liner brush, from each corner to the centre. Fill the tip, cap the free edge and tidy the inner line with a flat brush dipped in cleanser before curing. Pastel tips often need a second thin coat.

3. Pale pink nails with a pearl

A pearl on each ring finger nods to Easter eggs and needs no drawing. Build the base in B009 Rose Ballerine, a ballerina pink builder gel that strengthens thin, bendy nails and is filed off rather than soaked. Apply a thin first layer, then a second with a slight apex, curing each. Press a flat-backed pearl into a bead of the same gel, a third of the way up from the cuticle, and cure. Seal with Diamond Top Coat, a high-shine top coat, brushing around the pearl without covering it, so it keeps its lustre.

4. Lilac cat eye nails

For Easter evenings, a thin layer of sheer silver cat eye gel over two cured coats of Lilac adds a band of shimmer that moves with your hand. Working one nail at a time, hold a magnet just above the wet gel until the shimmer gathers, then cure straight away and seal with top coat. Our cat eye nails guide covers other magnet effects.

5. Pastel half-moon nails

Half-moon nails leave a bare crescent at the base, so regrowth shows less. Over a cured base coat, press the loaded bottle brush down a few millimetres above the cuticle so the bristles fan into a curve. Pull to the tip, fill the sides, cap the free edge and cure, then follow the same curve for a second coat. Lilac or Sky keeps it pastel; 188 Sage, a deep muted green, suits olive skin.

6. Easter egg ombre nails

An egg-shaped ombre fades an upright oval of pastel into a milky base. On two cured coats of Cloud, dab Lilac or Sky into the centre with a make-up sponge blotted on foil. Press more lightly at the edges and narrow the oval towards the tip. Clean the skin, cure and repeat once to deepen the colour. Oval and almond nails give the egg room.

7. Pastel skittle nails

Skittle nails, with a different pastel on each finger, echo a box of dyed eggs and need only the bottle brush. Paint shades of similar depth, such as Lilac, Sky, Cloud and a pale pink, in the same order on both hands. Pastels cover at different rates, so check every nail in daylight before the top coat and give any sheer one a third coat.

Cute Easter nail designs: chicks, daisies, gingham and bunnies

Keep cute motifs to one or two accent nails per hand. Most start from dots, the easiest freehand skill in our guide to simple nail designs for beginners.

8. Yellow chick nails

For chick yellow, choose 033 Honey, a creamy golden yellow that's deeper and warmer than a pastel. It flatters olive, tanned and deep skin; on fair, pink-toned skin, keep it to two accent nails. Yellows are often sheer, so allow a third coat. For a chick, dot a large Honey circle for the body on a Cloud nail, with a smaller one touching it for the head. Cure, re-dot any patchy yellow and cure again, then add a Black pinpoint for the eye and cure.

9. Easter daisy nails

Every part of a daisy is a dot, so it's the easiest flower to paint. On a cured Sky or 100 Mint nail, dot five petals of opaque white in a ring with the medium ball of a dotting tool; Cloud is too sheer for this. Re-dip for each petal so they match, and start small, as gel dots spread. Cure the petals, then dot a Honey centre with the small ball and cure again.

10. Spring green nails with white dots

White dots over Mint make a fresh print for Easter lunch. Paint Mint in two or three thin coats, then dot opaque white in a staggered grid, one to two dot-widths apart. To stop the dots flattening, cure every two or three nails. Tiny dots over Sage suit olive skin, and our polka dot nails guide has the full method.

11. Mint and white gingham nails

Mint and white gingham, the pattern of a picnic tablecloth, takes patience, so start with one accent nail per hand. It suits square and squoval nails best, where the horizontal stripes run parallel to the free edge.

12. Bunny ear nails

A tiny black bunny silhouette keeps the cute theme discreet. On a cured Rose Ballerine or Cloud nail, place two small Black dots side by side where the ear tips will be. Drag a clean toothpick from each towards the cuticle so it stretches into a slim ear, bringing the two ends together. After curing, you can add a round dot below for the head, then cure again.

Easter nail art for beginners: speckles and gingham

Cure every layer for the time in your gel's instructions, capping the free edge each time, and seal both designs with Diamond Top Coat.

How to do speckled egg nails

A dotting tool gives neat, round speckles; a nearly dry liner brush gives irregular flecks, closer to a real eggshell. Avoid flicking gel off a brush: the spatter lands on the skin, and uncured gel on skin is the main cause of gel allergy. If redness, itching, swelling or blisters appear around your nails, stop using the product and see a doctor.

1. Load the tool. Put a drop of Black on foil, away from the lamp. Dip the smallest ball of a dotting tool, or wipe a loaded liner brush on the foil until it leaves only a faint mark.
2. Place the speckles. Touch the ball down several times between dips, so the dots shrink as the gel runs out, or tap the brush tip down at different angles. Cluster some and leave gaps elsewhere, staying a hairline from the skin.
3. Clean up and cure. Lift any speck on the skin with a brush dipped in cleanser, then cure each nail as you finish it.

How to paint gingham nails with a striper brush

A striper has long, thin bristles that hold enough gel for a straight line in one stroke. Use two thin coats of Cloud for the base, or an opaque white for a crisper check.

1. Paint the vertical stripes. Load the striper from a drop of Mint on foil, wiping off any bead at the tip. Lay the bristles down just short of the cuticle and pull to the tip with light, even pressure. Start in the centre, then add a stripe on each side, leaving gaps as wide as the stripes. Clean the skin and cure.
2. Paint the horizontal stripes with the same width and spacing, two or three on a short nail. Turn your hand so you can pull each stroke towards you, stopping short of the sidewalls, then cure.
3. Check the crossings. A thin stroke rarely covers fully, so the crossings, where two layers overlap, come out deeper, as on woven gingham. For a sharper check, fill each one with Sage using a fine liner brush, then cure.

Short Easter nails

On short nails, choose small details with colour around them, such as one daisy, a pearl or bunny ears, and keep French tips to a millimetre or two. Skittle nails need no drawing and suit any length, so start there if you want simple Easter nails. Save the egg ombre for longer nails.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular nail colour for Easter?

Pastels are the colours most associated with Easter: lilac, pale pink, powder blue, mint and pale yellow. Lilac is the safest single choice; if you prefer neutrals, wear a milky white with pastel tips.

What colour nails should you wear in April?

April is pastel season: lilac, mint and powder blue, or sage for a muted shade. Golden yellow, peach and coral take over as May approaches, and our spring nails guide covers the whole season.

What are the nail trends for Easter?

Easter nails change little from year to year: pastels, speckled eggs, daisies and bunnies come back every spring. For an understated set, wear one motif on an accent nail and a pastel or milky white on the rest.

Which nail colours make older hands look younger?

Pale, warm shades flatter older hands most, as they brighten the skin: a ballet pink such as Rose Ballerine, a peachy pink or a milky white. A high-shine top coat reflects light, and oval nails make fingers seem longer.

Start your Easter set with two or three pastels from our gel polish collection, adding Rose Ballerine from our builder gel range where nails need strength.