Allure's 2012 timeline, reproduced by Nails Magazine, says women in ancient Egypt dyed their fingertips with henna somewhere between 5000 and 3000 BC, and that around 600 BC noblemen and women of China's Chou dynasty sprinkled their nails with gold and silver dust. The dates are approximate and other sources disagree, so read them as a rough start. What holds up better is the modern story. The first American manicure parlor opened in New York in 1878. In 1965 London mods painted flowers on their nails with oil paints. Florence Griffith Joyner wore her nails at the 1988 Olympics, and in the late 1990s Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim made airbrushed and pierced nails a look of their own. Nails Magazine credits Black culture with a lot of that.

So nails art has always been a mix of craft and attitude. Today it is easier than it has ever been, because you can buy the look already made or make it yourself with two small brushes.

The collage below shows nine ways to wear it: micro French, cherries, swirls, daisies, hearts, abstract lines, stars, leopard and checkerboard. The first grid is press-ons and strips that look hand painted. The second is stickers, appliqués and the tools for drawing your own.

Here is a test I like: pick one small motif you would happily look at all week, like a cherry or a single swirl, and put it on one nail. If you are still enjoying it on day four, go bigger next time.

These are nails art without the steady hand. Olive & June has two medium sets. Swirl French is the brand's classic French tip with an inky black swirl, in an almond shape. Florals on Vacay is a pink gradient with tropical hibiscus flowers in an oval shape.

Dashing Diva makes semi-cured gel strips, and the brand promises mega volume and high shine. Suns Out Swirl is blush pink with red, deep mauve and yellow swirls. Under The Sea is ocean blue with aquatic shimmers. Stolen Hearts is the quiet one, a translucent nude with white and black tips and little hearts, in a medium almond.

ohora's three are the most illustrated. N Floral Fantasy is a marble design in vibrant hues that the brand says looks dewy and translucent. N Ajisai Bloom is inspired by pink and purple hydrangeas, with marble patterns, magnetic glitter, silver foil and crystal accents. N Petite Tomato is the funniest, a soft red blush base with a tiny tomato stem. It is minimalist, and it is the one I would give a friend who says she does not do nail art.

A pairing: if you love the swirls, keep the rest of your look plain. Nails this busy do the talking.

Start with N Petite Tomato or Stolen Hearts if you are new to this. Go for Floral Fantasy or Ajisai Bloom when you want people to lean in.

What I would skip: the crystal and foil set on days you type all day or wash dishes by hand. Save it for a dinner.

If you want to make it yourself, start with the brushes. Olive & June's Nail Art Brush Set is a duo with a brush on one end and a dotting tip on the other. The Striper Brush is dual ended too, with a shorter brush for small designs and a longer one for French tips and lines. The Dotter Tool has a smaller dot for tiny polka dots and a larger one for petals or hearts. A manicurist quoted in Vogue Adria suggests keeping a good nail-art brush at home, and I agree.

Stickers are the easier road. Olive & June's Farmer's Market Puffy Stickers are a basket of fruit, with blueberries and strawberries. The brand says each design is hand-screened and printed with ink that will not blur or fade, and that you can use one as an accent nail or to cover a chipped nail in a pinch.

JINsoon's appliqués are more graphic. Aura Dots are concentric circles that make a halo. Chroma Dots are randomly overlaid translucent dots. Flower was inspired by the art of Nanan Kang, with florals, butterflies and greenery. ohora's Sweet and Brilliant is a sticker sheet, and the brand gives no more detail, so I will not guess.

A trick I like: paint a plain sheer base, let it dry fully, then place one sticker or draw one dot with the dotter. Press small.

What I would skip: the stripers before you have practiced on a piece of paper. Use stickers first and the brush when you feel steady.

I think nails art works best when it is small and repeated. One cherry, one swirl, one sticker on the ring finger, and the whole hand looks like you thought about it for longer than you did.

My rule: press-ons for the weeks you want zero effort, stickers for the weeks you want a little play, and a brush only when you have twenty quiet minutes and a clean desk. Keep the base plain and let the art be the one loud thing. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together short summer nails and OPI Bubble Bath and the Sheer Pinks That Look Like Your Nails, Only Better.