Major Assignment 3 [MA3]

Once you have reviewed the content and video tutorials in lessons 5.9 & 5.10, and completed all Practical Activities, it is time to submit your third assignment. You are required to complete two (2) sets of acrylic overlays and one (1) set of gel overlays on models of your choosing, in line with the techniques and processes demonstrated in the previous two lessons.

You must achieve a pass/competent mark in this assessment to progress onto the remaining assignments. If you are assessed as ‘not yet competent’, you will be provided with feedback and guidance and asked to resubmit your assignment. You may attempt this assignment as many times as is required to achieve a pass/competent mark.

Major Assignment Outline

Your major assignment requires you to submit the following items:

1. Part one: evidence of a full set of natural acrylic overlays (applied to the nails of the hands only), including correct nail preparation techniques. To achieve a natural finish, apply a gel base and top coat to your shaped acrylic enhancements, as demonstrated in the video tutorial contained in lesson 5.9 Acrylic overlays.
2. Part two: evidence of a full set of coloured acrylic overlays (applied to the nails of the hands only), including correct nail preparation techniques. To achieve a colour finish, apply a gel base, two (2) coats of gel polish, and a gel top coat to your shaped acrylic enhancements.
3. Part three: evidence of a full set of natural gel overlays (applied to the nails of the hands only), including correct nail preparation techniques. To achieve a natural finish, apply a gel base and top coat to your shaped gel enhancements, as demonstrated in the video tutorial contained in lesson 5.10 Gel overlays.

You are required to firstly demonstrate sound preparation of the cuticle area and nail plate, before shaping your nail to an aesthetically pleasing shape and applying dehydrator. You are then required to apply your acrylic or gel builder product, before curing and shaping the structure with a nail file to achieve a symmetrical C-curve. You are then required to finish your set with gel products, in accordance with the instructions above.

Assessment criteria

You will be assessed against each of the below criteria for each part of your assignment:

1. Evidence of correct cuticle preparation.
2. Evidence of correct nail plate preparation.
3. Aesthetically pleasing, symmetrical nail shape.
4. Evidence of product control (crisp, clean lines 1-2mm from cuticles with no signs of product leaching).
5. Correct formation and placement of the apex in relation to length of the artificial nail.
6. Smooth tapering of product from the apex to the nail tip and cuticles, and appropriate thickness in these areas.
7. Correct formation of the C-curve.
8. Evidence of even coverage of gel products.

Submitting your assignment

To submit this assessment, complete the assignment submission form below. Part of this submission is the upload of photos of your work. You are required to upload ten (10) images for each of your acrylic and gel overlay sets, in line with the below examples:

Example images:

Please ensure there is sufficient lighting (natural light if possible) to clearly show your work in your images.

Good luck!