Nail Art Celebrity on Nassau: Freckle

This article made possible by a donation to the Writer’s Fund Raffle by Dalaga.

A few weeks ago the L Magazine ran a feature of the top five places to get your nails done in Brooklyn. Sadly, it overlooked Freckle Salon’s very own Claire Beaudreault, one of Greenpoint’s most exciting emerging nail artists since Ria Lopez of Nail Art by Ria. Claire is the cool girl on the block who will make you tea, paint something amazing like tiny cats on your nails (or in my latest experience, pink ombre) and leave you feeling like you can point at world with very beautiful fingers and know exactly what you want from it. She fits right in at Freckle, which from Greenpointer’s prior coverage you’ll recall is the salon you’d hoped one day would open in our neighborhood.

I met Claire last October when, being new to Greenpoint myself, she’d just joined Freckle. I’d already become a fan of the owner, Ania’s, waxing technique which is quick and mostly pain-free. I was jumping at any chance to return to Freckle. I’d even started to feel that my hair wasn’t growing back fast enough. Claire gave me my very first gel manicure ($25, only lasts three weeks because your nails grow) and is responsible for my addiction and appreciation for well-kept talons.

Like Ania, Claire is personable and spontaneous. She makes you feel at ease talking about your life and will share tidbits of her own, and—in a non-gossipy way—she’ll probably know your neighbors and friends through nails or her band, Hand Job Academy. (You can check them out on March 21st at Death by Audio). 

Claire is careful with your hands and will shape even the widest, flattest nail (hello my middle fingers) into the crisp, long almonds you’ve always imagined having. But the more incredible part of this story is that in just under one year Claire has left an unsatisfying job at a tech firm in DUMBO, joined Freckle and produced runway nail art at Fashion Week for designers including Jenny Packham and Helmut Lang. As the assistant to celebrity manicurist, Gina Edwards, she completed ten shows and designed the nails for one of her own: Titania Inglis.

She’s still regularly available at Freckle for manicures (Thursday-Saturday, by appointment) though you may want to book her ASAP. This girl’s headed toward nail art celebrity!