Melissa Samuel is a specialty nail artist behind the brand Finesse Your Claws, which she runs from her private studio in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Ms. Samuel, 41, designs bespoke 3-D nail sets for a closed client roster that has included the singer SZA, the rapper Lil Yachty and the singer Justine Skye. (And there’s a waiting list, so don’t even dream of getting a fast appointment.)
Originally from London, Ms. Samuel moved to New York in 2015 and began working at nail salons in Brooklyn and on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. When Covid hit and salons shut, she pivoted, designing nails from her apartment.
Finesse Your Claws is a one-woman operation. But Ms. Samuel does have a muse — the influencer Alani Figueroa, also known by her social media handle, “Wuzg00d” — whom Ms. Samuel credits with helping her vault to the big leagues.
In 2020, Ms. Figueroa wore one of Ms. Samuel’s custom sets to a photo shoot for the fashion brand Moschino. The designer Jeremy Scott, then Moschino’s creative director, spotted the nails and “asked for five more,” Ms. Samuel said.
“When the stars align, they align,” she said.
That gave her the confidence, and the funds, to open her own studio in June of that year.
Nails nowadays require “next-level art,” Ms. Samuel said. “I recently drew a 3-D Tamagotchi on a nail. I did one where I put a bodega cat on top of a loaf of bread. An average set for me used to take maybe two to three hours; now it’s like five to six.”
Ms. Samuel lives with dozens of her closest plant friends in a one-bedroom apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
GYM, THEN FRENCH TOAST I’m an early riser. On Sundays, I sleep in and go to the gym at 7 a.m. After, there’s a cafe I like to go to not far from me, Zaca Cafe, that does really good French toast. Which is crazy, that I’m going to the gym and then eating French toast.
PHONING HOME Most of my friends and family are back home in London. So when I come back from the gym, I call them, because it’s already midday there. My mom, she’s like my bestie. Every Sunday I try to call her, and we have like a two-hour catch-up. I’ll do my hair and makeup with my mom on the loudspeaker. Or I’ll put her on CarPlay while I’m running errands. She’s retired, so she’s very flexible.
CONCRETE OASIS I love plant shopping. I go to Brooklyn Plantology, which is a really big plant warehouse in Canarsie. I can spend hours there. I have maybe 30 plants in my apartment. Being from London, I’m used to a lot of green, so it’s kind of like my mini tropical oasis in New York. I go to London every Christmas, for two or three weeks. Last year I went for three weeks, and two weeks in I was saying to my mom: “I think I need to go home. My plants are going to die.”
CLEAN FREAK Then I’ll go to the studio. I set up, make sure everything is clean and sterile — no dust. Believe it or not, the art is usually the quickest part for me. Prepping the studio and the nails, that’s the longest part of the appointment. I’m a bit of a clean freak.
WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES I see my clients as friends, as people that I’ve grown with. Ninety percent of them come in and say, “You can just do what you want.” I have an archive of millions of random photos I take when I’m out and see things I feel would look good on a nail. It could be the corner of a chair, the back of someone’s jacket. So for the inspiration part, I just start off with, “This is what I’m thinking, picture-wise.”
FORKS ONLY I really don’t allow my clients to order food during the appointment, because grease can make their nails lift. Sometimes they try to push the boat out a little bit and eat something with a fork. But they’re welcome to order a drink.
EXECUTION MODE Next step is the art. If it’s a very intricate design, we sketch the nails out on a paper towel. I have to map it out, because once I start painting, it’s crazy. It’s so messy. My brain is working quicker than my hands do. I’m in execution mode; the 3-D gems are out. It’s always a big cleanup when I’m finished, but it’s fun.
REMOVER’S REMORSE Sometimes my clients get emotional to take their old sets off. I don’t know what’s going on with me recently, but I’m getting attached to them as well. I recently did a Bad Bunny set [for Ms. Figueroa], and we built everything out of 3-D gel. When I removed those nails, I wanted to frame them. But once the new set’s on, it’s all forgotten. I do a little photo shoot with my ring light, and then I send them on their way.
STUDIO RESET After they leave, I wipe everything down for the morning. I try to be wrapped up by 7 or 8, but if I have to stay another hour to make the set look good, I’m not opposed to it. I drive home and have a shower. Then I make my dinner — very basic. Usually salmon, salad, maybe some rice here and there.
BRITISH WIND-DOWN Then, it’s a wind-down situation. I tend to watch shows that have no effect on my life, because they’re sending me off to bed. I love dating shows. Being British, I love “Love Island.” It’s the little U.K.-isms that make it funny. And now the American shows have even adapted some of our words, like “go for a chat,” “banter.” And “graft,” like “I’m going to graft her.” “I’m going to craic on.” It’s so funny hearing them in an American accent.
BACK IN THE MIX I’m completely cut off from social media all day; I’m out of the mix. So when I get home, I always want to catch up and see who’s liked my posts, who’s liked my stories. I try to be in bed by 10, but that’s the last thing I’ll do.