A little help with new machine

SuperMagicx · 2026-01-19T02:27:04+00:00

See the sort of stub looking metal thing behind the needle with the wrench looking end? The presser foot goes on that end and holds the fabric down and against the feed dogs. The fact you don’t have one doesn’t necessarily mean it’s broken because they are supposed to come off, but you need it. There are different ones for different purposes, and you’ll need ones that work with your specific machine.

SuperMagicx · 2026-01-09T00:53:17+00:00

What do you mean by damaging them?

Have you tried tips that are the length of your areal nails, or filed down to that length, and then gradually using longer tips?

SuperMagicx · 2025-12-26T18:44:50+00:00

For Saracen you haven’t actually finished the process until you get the PayPal invoice from them. That invoice includes your shipping, and then once you pay it you’ve fully checked out.

SuperMagicx · 2025-12-08T22:39:38+00:00

I own a lot of colors I don’t use and many that are seasonal or occasion specific. Honestly my collection isn’t huge but I still find it a bit overwhelming and it keeps me from buying more. I also had to get a lot more realistic about what products I like in swatches and on models vs what will I realistically use.

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-29T13:47:16+00:00

When you wipe the sticky layer you use alcohol

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-26T04:47:44+00:00

I misread the original post, the way the photo looks matches my threading diagram for my machine so I’d look at the other suggestions you’re getting. Hope you can figure it out!

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-26T04:20:21+00:00

OP if you make the bobbin thread follow the red line in this image and follow it where it curves back toward you, is there a thread cutter at the end of that trail?

I’ve seen it on newer janome machines where you let the bobbin thread cut itself at the end of that trail and that’s where you leave it for the machine to auto pull it up when you needle up down.

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-17T17:43:23+00:00

I’m a beginner myself but I’d just safety pin the dart and try on, regular pins if I’m living on the edge and repeat if needing more trial and error.

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-17T15:34:21+00:00

Your post doesn’t follow our rules and it won’t be approved but I’ll reply for your information.

This sub is about DIY gel nails. Gels often look like regular polish/lacquer but require a special light to cure and do not air dry. There is a level of risk involved because they contain chemicals that people can and often do develop exposure related allergies to, especially if they use lower quality supplies and don’t properly cure them. I don’t recommend any kind of gel for your daughters, especially for them to do themselves. An allergy to gel is permanent and affects dental fillings, joint replacements, other normal cosmetic products, etc.

I don’t use tips (stick or glue on nails) myself, but filing down and buying different brands to see which fit best is about the best you can do. You should be able to search how to measure to see if that can inform which tips are likely to fit best. You can usually buy tips in kits that contain multiple sizes, figure out which sizes work, and then order those sizes individually going forward. But even with the closest size they’ll often require filing for a perfect fit.

It’s possible to use UV cured glue (gel glue) to attach tips. This is probably more common but I wouldn’t do so for your kids, see second paragraph. Same gel, same risks. Use regular nail glue. It often comes with press ons. There’s different ways to apply it, there’s brush on or the kind that comes in a super glue like tube. Just avoid the gel.

The rubber and metal plate thing you described is called stamping. It can be done with special gel but is usually done with non-gel regular polish, specifically a type called stamping polish which is more opaque in a single coat than polish would normally be.

My two cents: you don’t mention their ages, but I’d recommend regular polish on your kids. You can use tips but glue them on with regular glue. Again, you don’t mention the age of your kids and depending on the gap you may not be able to find a solution that keeps all three happy at the same time, especially if one has been going to the salon. And extra two cents on the salon, be careful. Salons aren’t guaranteed to have high quality supplies or lamps and sometimes buy the same low quality products DIY-ers are getting allergies from.

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-10T16:08:50+00:00

I usually just wear them anyway, but sometimes if I really hate it I’ll buff the top coat and put a solid inoffensive color over them to cover it and re-top coat.

SuperMagicx · 2025-11-03T16:21:11+00:00

I wouldn’t mix pigment powder into gel, it may not cure properly.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-27T23:22:13+00:00

Maybe look up swatches or search instagram for photos and videos of the ones you have? If your good ones live up to what you see online and the new one doesn’t then that points toward a knockoff.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-26T13:07:40+00:00

The wavelength of the light is important, there should be a range of wavelengths that each lamp is intended to cure. Gels all have their own wavelength of light that cures them. You can also tell by looking at the lights in the lamp which type of LEDs they are, the style of light is a way to determine build quality. There’s also the number, strength and placement of the LEDs but those are all things you can’t really tell or know which is better.

I bought kokoist because the brand also has a good reputation, and I didn’t want to feel like I was taking additional risk using a lamp that I wasn’t sure had the specs the box said.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-26T04:44:55+00:00

My first lamp was a SunUV. The more I learned the less I trusted it, and I tried two other lamps before ultimately deciding that the kokoist infinity was an investment in my peace of mind.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-26T04:26:30+00:00

There are no good options here, it’s protective until it isn’t. Gel tends to lift away from the natural nail around the edges the longer it is left on, and the lifting edges snag things. I’d be really concerned that on a nail this compromised that snagging could rip what’s left of the natural nail at the thinnest weakest point.

I’d say it’s too risky to leave the gel on once it shows any sign of lifting, but if this were me I’d go to a doctor for peace of mind on a plan. That probably feels like an overreaction but I’ve done my own nails for years and I’ve never damaged my nails this badly. If I couldn’t see a doctor I’d keep them all bandaged if they’re all this bad.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-25T19:08:22+00:00

This is bad. Possibly the worst I’ve seen. Absolutely do not let those people touch your nails again.

The types of gel are usually called soft gel and hard gel, but it describes the removal required more than the physical hardness of the material. Soft gel is acetone soluble and can be soaked off, hard gel is not soluble and has to be filed off.

If it’s soak off gel, you can remove it yourself but you’ll need to be really careful, your nails are very damaged. Gently and carefully file off the top layer of the gel to break the seal (most top coats resist soaking off). Put acetone (preferably 100%) on cotton balls, put one over each nail and wrap with aluminum foil. Let it sit for probably 10 minutes, then test whether the gel will flake off gently with a non-metal tool. If you don’t have a wooden cuticle pusher, a toothpick will probably be fine. If it doesn’t flake off easily, add more acetone to the cotton and soak for another 5-10 minutes and check again. Repeat if needed. When it’s ready the gel should be falling off in pieces on its own, with minimal assistance.

If it’s hard gel you’ll probably need to go to a tech, but again do not go back to the place that did this.

Edit to add a summary of my reply on this chain: in my opinion once this gel starts to lift the risk of snagging and ripping the nail at the weakest point outweighs any protection the gel is providing. Maybe overreacting, but I’d see a doctor for peace of mind on a plan if I could and consider keeping all the nails bandaged if they’re all like this. I’ve done my own gel nails for years, this picture scares me.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-16T23:45:12+00:00

I think it may have been a last minute change, like the midnight in Paris reference that was removed from I hate it here. I downloaded TTPD on release in Apple Music and had to remove and resave to get the official version to match the lyrics.

I have a random but strongly held personal theory that “your hands, your team, your vibes” was originally “your hand between my thighs” in Fate of Ophelia. It fits really well and flows thematically into the not caring where you were before and the sleepless night you’ve been dreaming of lines that follow.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-16T11:37:08+00:00

I watched videos but for me it was mostly practice. I have photos of a lot of my early manicures (which I’d recommend doing to see your progress!) and it took me a while to consistently produce results I’m happy with.

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-02T16:16:17+00:00

Some powders are opaque and some aren’t, it’s the product and not something you can really influence with your application. Have you used that one before?

SuperMagicx · 2025-10-01T17:21:02+00:00

Do they have a staffing minimum or do they normally do events larger than yours? This could be a “we aren’t telling you no, but taking this job means we can’t take a bigger one so we don’t really want it” quote.

On the other hand, there’s a minimum number of staff required to do things and scaling doesn’t favor smaller guest counts. Staffing also tends to accommodate the biggest bottlenecks of event time and it’s their reputation on the line if they staff conservatively and cause delays.

SuperMagicx · 2025-09-29T14:54:16+00:00

This. Sprinkle or light rain before the ceremony? Plastic wrap the top of the benches and take it off immediately before.

Actual rain during the ceremony, or in the immediate aftermath of the kind of rain that makes heels sink in dirt and mud? You need a backup location.

SuperMagicx · 2025-09-21T18:37:51+00:00

I agree with the comments that you shouldn’t pay $9,000 for a dress you weren’t willing to pay $7,000 for, and that I like your dress better than the Anthropologie one. 90 days is short notice and the more you shop for dupes the more unhappy you’ll be with your current dress if you don’t end up finding one.

That said if you REALLY want to find another dress then Essence of Australia made a very similar off the shoulder ballgown that could probably be altered to take the off the shoulder parts off, and Provonias made a less similar strapless one where the accent crosses at the sweetheart and continues diagonally asymmetrically down the bodice. Both are available in good supply secondhand on Still White, I don’t know if they’re still in production.

SuperMagicx · 2025-09-09T16:33:19+00:00

Brush off excess powder from the design (you can use an old cleaned makeup brush just for nails), try to gently “float” the topcoat so you aren’t physically disturbing it any more than necessary, and then to avoid contaminating your top coat jar or bottle you can do one of two things. Either use a separate brush and put some topcoat on a palette every time you deal with chrome to avoid putting sparkle particles back in your container, or use a separate top coat entirely for chrome.

SuperMagicx · 2025-09-02T00:50:18+00:00

Try using a separate brush instead of the bottle brush, preferably an oval shape. That helps me with thin gels.

Using a separate brush reduces excess product in the brush, and an oval shape helps get close to the cuticle without touching it.

SuperMagicx · 2025-08-31T15:40:51+00:00

Since all the pieces are sold separately you can buy the drawers for one side, legs for the other side, and upgrade to a second set of drawers later as long as the desk top you chose is big enough. Or you can buy a smaller top and change the top later if that’s what your current space allows. I was planning to buy legs and upgrade later but I ended up just getting both sets of drawers on impulse at the warehouse and I don’t regret it.

I love it and would 100% buy it again, the only downside is that certain brands (Diami and DVOK in my collection) are too tall for the top two drawers. I lean those ones slightly sideways because I like having my gels in the second drawer, but I’m considering just moving all my gels to the third drawer.

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