Easter is almost here - we hope you are all looking forward to the bank holiday as much as we are! While you are relaxing this weekend with a Giant chocolate egg why not try out our easy easter manicure? Pastels are so in this season and this pretty pastel manicure is sure to get you in the Easter mood!

You could use any pastel combinaion for this manicure, or you could even switch things up and use a different combination on each nail!

We are keeping it fresh with 'Lap of Honour' by Barry M - a pretty pastel lavender, and Banana split by Models own - a gorgeous scented pastel yellow polish! You're also going to need a good quality top coat to keep your manicure in place all Easter long. We have opted for the Barry M Plumpy top coat for ultimate shine and ant-chip!

To make sure your manicure is uniform and professional, begin by filing your nails to one shape and length. We have opted for a squoval finish (square nails with rounded corners).

To make sure your polish lasts as long as possible and to prevent it staining the natural nail you will need to paint your nails with a good quality base coat. We love the O.P.I natural nail base coat for great hold and smooth application!

Give this atleast 5 minutes to dry. It is important to let each coat of polish dry properly in order for the application to be smooth and flawless!

Once your base coat is dry a great tip is to smooth some vaseline onto the skin and cuticle around the nail. This will prevent any smudges or runs of polish from staiing the skin and give a more salon worthy look!

Now that your base coat is dry you can begin your first coat of colour.

The best way to paint your nails for a smooth, clean finish is to paint a strip of colour down the centre of the nail, then the left side and then the right side, painting from the base of the nail to the free edge. This will stop the polish from 'pooling' in the cuticle area and will ensure a nice even coat.

Once this coat is dry you can go in with your second coat for extra strength and to make the colour completley opaque. Use the same painting technique on this coat, too!

Once you have allowed this to dry, pick up your second polish and create a geographic design on the corner of each nail. Geographic manicures are very trendy this spring, but keeping it pastel makes it more wearable.

We painted these corner sections free hand as they are very simple amd the vaseline will stop any accidents from staining the skin. However, if you don't have a very steady hand you can place a strip of scotch tape where you would like the design to go. Scotch tape is the best kind of tape to use as it is light and will not pull off your polish when you peel it away.

When everything is dry, go in with your top coat! Not only will this give great shine and hold to your manicure, but it'll also blend the colours together for a softer apperance. You can then gently wipe off any excess Vaseline!

Top Tip; Don't try to use a hair dryer to dry your nail polish faster - heat actually keeps the polish tacky and sticky. Instead, dip your fingers into a bowl of cold water for 1-3 minutes to help the polish dry and harden. You can find out more about this beauty hack and our other faves in our beauty hack post!

To finish off our manicure we added on some cuticle tattoos - these are a fun alternative to jewellery and are set to be a hot trend this summer! We love these Cuticle Tattoos by Rad Nails - they're simple to apply and make your mani extra special!

We also put on a few midi rings for extra pizazz and glam. There are thousands to choose from at Charlotte Russe so you could match your mani perfectly! Midi rings are a returning trend this summer and are the perfect accessory to complete any look, whether simple and beachy or party princess!

We hope you have enjoyed this pretty pastel Easter manicure! Don't forget to show us your recreations by tagging us on Instagram with #bellaandbear or posting on our facebook page!

Whatever you are doing this Easter, be safe and have a wonderful time - you could always treat yourself to some Bella&Bear goodies in our UK store or our USA store!