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.