The Hottest Hair Accessories For 2021 (That Even The 40+ Crowd Can Wear!)

This is the art beauty podcast, where we tell the real truth about the fake i'm amber, and today my fabulous co-host is kate hillebrand. She is the founder of bellafix. If you have not heard of this, it is by far the cutest hair accessories. Ever. I think you're wearing one right now. Look. My phone just fell over because it got so excited about this. It just took a nosedive um, so so stinking cute um, absolutely in love so kate, before we get into like all things hair. Here we are on zoom um. I feel like these days, at least for me, a good hair day is a great everything else day, right, yes, and when you're not having a good hair day, it's like yeah and you can feel you know if you're feeling bloated. No one sees that so as long as you can keep from your neck up or chest up good you're having a good day, but i find that now it's like so crazy, so um, you know, zoom and and obviously the coronal virus has changed the way that We do business has changed really the entire world um, and i find that like there are just days so only on fridays. Do i put on makeup - and do i put my it's true, because i'm i'm just i'm lazy, um and because i'm like recording but like my regular day-to-day people, see me i've got my glasses on i've got this, but i really kind of feel like i need To like step it up a little bit right and - and so i was like looking in um like the internet - and it's like all of these hair trends for 20 21 have to do with really adorable accessories. They do yeah because that's all about you know really anything you can do to accessorize whether it's you know, of course, hair accessories. Even a chunky, necklace, a statement, earring anything that's going to show up on camera and honestly, you know, i always say you throw on a headband. So i went on really like a nicer scrunchie in your messy top knot and you just feel more put together and you feel like. Okay, it looks like i tried, even though it really took three seconds to try. So when i was like looking through your site - and i have a couple of the um of some of the accessories here, because i feel like uh i'm in my 40s - and i wasn't sure if, like i could pull off some of the cool girl, i had Like like, i had this like moment of like where, like i was like picturing blair, waldorf being like no no headband um like let's get into it, let's start with headbands, because you're wearing one, it's so adorable and i'm seeing everybody with like the top knot. Headband they're so chic and like i feel like they hide a lot of sins too right, because if your hair is greasy, they do they can help. They can hide grease. They could hide a crease from a previous hair style. You had um frizz. Just put it right back down, uh they're, really great, and this yeah. This is a braided headband. This is from our newest collection, pretty in pink, which is just all things pink, they're, very elwood, weekly blonde inspired fun. So i have to ask you i mean: do you think that, like i've seen a lot of like the younger girls wearing um, these legit can women in 40 plus get away with this look? Do you think, i absolutely think, i'm in my late 30s, so it's um by no means in the 25 year old, 22 year old crowd and i think that's especially right now, historically, hair accessories um have been really in the 15 to 22 age range. Once you know, once i'm gon na hit the workforce, they sort of stop accessorizing, but i think with the new resurgence of hair accessories, you're seeing them all over. You know real housewives and other reality. Tv shows that aren't just about 20 somethings or teenagers. I think it's really, you know still confident, i think, fashion in general. Now there's no real age gap. You know you see women in their. You know 40s, 50s, even 60s wearing styles. That would have 15 years ago. Anyone over the age of 25 wouldn't have been caught dead, and so i think that's the great thing is that fashion really doesn't have an age limit. It'S just about having the confidence, and that's one really big thing with bell fix is especially with hair accessories. Being a little bit newer to mainstream fashion trends, everyone knows how to wear a necklace, how to wear a really. You know bold hoop and your big hoop, but they kind of put on the head and like can i do this? Is it and we really want to give people that confidence to say you can do it? It'S easy, um and there's no reason to kind of put an age limit on it, and we especially, i think, have a lot of good pieces that age a little up. Um, you know, especially the scrunchy scrunchy trend, is super huge. Something yeah wait! Wait before we enter this question. I want to stop you there because yeah. If i am going to um, i am going to uh. Take your word on it. I'M going to order myself. Some headbands and let you know because i love it, you are like just do it just own it. So before we go on to other trends, let's stick with the headband right now, because i see that you're wearing um and i do want to say i went on your site - i mean you've got ones in. Like i mean, can you tell i love the snakeskin, but they are. There was like beautiful leather twist ones, um there's some really. There was like a gorgeous, i feel like it may have had like beads um. It reminded me of like the south of france, um yeah. We have a few like that, so really really stunning pieces and um do you have tips because, like the last time, i wore a headband, it was like put it in and like push back, but - and i don't know if people aren't watching this at home or If you're, if you're, just listening, you're, not watching right now, kate has this really cute, but her like bangs are kind of like side swept and her hair looks styled and i'm seeing a lot of that with this headband trend. Is it's not just like put it on and like push all your hair back? Do you have tips on like cute ways to wear it yeah so yeah? When we, you know the 80s 90s when headbands were kind of last, a big thing it was. It was just push it, you know, push your hair right back now, you can kind of make it more stylish, and you know my biggest tip is just how take if you are watching at home. You can see this video. I really just mean my hair. You can see it's a second day hair. My hair doesn't go more than two days. Um you push, you know, you put it style it down and then just place the headband on top like, as if it's literally like a tiara on your head, um and just place it right on top. So whatever do your whole style and then put the headband on top, is you know just a accessory to add to it rather than trying to incorporate the headband early on into your styling? I'M gon na? Stop you right there, i'm just having a moment when you said it's like wearing a tiara, i'm like i need to wear one of these every day. I need a tiara on my head. I love that. That'S so great because you're right, it kind of, is it's like it's like this beautiful tiara. I love that yeah. So it's a great easy they're super easy. Don'T over think it don't spend a lot of time. Just you know whether your hair air dry, you do it at home, blow dry. Add some curls. If you feel like it and just place it right on top, don't overthink, it don't put a ton of time um. If you're someone like me who um i don't have always accomplished, i always have a little hair in front of my face rather than push back, but if you're someone who loves that split back look, you can do that just the same with the headband. I don't want to say this too. You know what on zoom i feel like. We can play around and be like a little bit. It'S a good. What i'm trying to say is if you're like me and you're unsure about this trend for yourself because you're a little self-conscious, i get it, try it out and zoom, because it's such a statement piece and it's so gorgeous and then you can decide if you're gon Na like go out into the world - and you know, have the balls to like rock that trend, which i say just do it right like just do it yeah um and we have great pieces for all different occasions, and this is a little bit more dressy. But then we have ones that are just like a linen or a cotton that are great every day, honestly, where you're put your sweatshirt on and a pair of leggings and throw on that more casual, headband and honey. I'M gon na go and order the most sparkly, because now that, like you said it's a tiara, i want glam, give it to me um so has the technolo here's my other thing full like we keep it real here on this podcast, but what i remember from Headbands in general was like, after wearing them for like an hour. It'S like it starts to like crunch in has, like the technology changed at all, on that it has, for us, that's a huge thing i remember being in grade school wearing them to school, and you get about two hours in and you have to take it off And your mom takes you home and like what did you do to your hair because it hurts so much? That is something every single headband. I wear to make sure that it's comfort and i you know we'll - spend the extra money to make sure we're. You know adding now, there's also things with like adding velvet pieces, even if you're not seeing them on the outside they're on the inside other pieces of bands, just some additional fabric to really help. You know this is a would look like a heavy headband that would really lay on the back of your ears, and you cannot feel it. I mean you know it's on, but it will not get any kind of pain and there's a lot. We have that. Honestly people say i forget, i'm even wearing it: oh okay, good and you know folks at home. I cannot wait to try these and i will follow up on that um. Do you i wan na before we go on to the other trends. You know you mentioned. You'Re in your your 30s um, even in the late 30s. But how did you? How did you you're the founder of this business? Correct? Yes, how did you start the biz, so my experience for over 10 years has been marketing and pr um working with a lot of um on the agency side, mostly with a lot of big brands in entertainment and lifestyle, and then um more recently was working actually With a big wedding brand here in i'm from philadelphia, so that frame and i in 2018 i had my daughter - and i was just looking for something with a little more flexibility, probably not working less just working my hours differently, just to be able to spend a Little more time with her, and i always had a personal interest in fashion and trends and style, and i was able to team up with someone who's been executive at a big hair company who had started an incubator for new and emerging brands to help fund them. I had this the concept for belfast, which is a full you know: luxury hair accessories at an affordable price point with different collections launching every month and solely direct to consumers, sold online and um. So from that point on, i guess it was late 20. That august of 2019, i was able to leave my job and start dedicating full-time to belfast. I am launched in august 2020., i have to say, go online right now, um and and like i said so, i've got some of the pieces here and - and i asked you this before we started um - look at how gorgeous this packaging is and - and you said Every order comes in this. Yes, every order comes in. We have this big one with headbands and bigger pieces. Then we have a smaller one if you're, just ordering clips or smaller look at this, so smart, it's a drawer. So i can put this on. First of all, it's a gorgeous. It'S got this beautiful, but i put this on my shelf because that's the other thing is like you get these hair accessories and where the heck do you store them? This sits on your shelf. You can stack other things on top of it and boom. It pulls out. It'S so beautiful. Well done now. Packaging was a big, what's very important to me and something i put a lot of time into making sure we had. You know especially things. I'M gon na be shipping directly to the consumers to really make that full experience from the website to within their hands it. It really is so lux and - and i got ta say you know what too you're right the prices on on them. I think the most expensive thing i saw was what like 40 or 50., so we have one headband, that's 25, because it's uh crystals that are hand placed the rest of our items, are all under really most are under 20. um. We have a handful of pieces between 20 and 30, but the vast majority of our items are all under 20. You know this have been here would be 18, i mean, and they all ship in boxes like this yeah everything shipped in boxes and like that. This is my new gift to everybody as like a little thank you. Are you kidding when somebody's having a bad day or, like i mean just for 18 under 20? You can ship them something and it feels so luxe and beautiful, and now you were talking about. Okay, so scrunchies, i can't believe that this is back right. I remember, like you know, in the 90s we used to wear them like layered up the arms. They would match your like scrunchy scrunchy socks that you would scrunch down too um. So when i found out, they were back. I first kind of did like a little vomit in my mouth, but then also was like all right. Let let me see what's up the scrunchie is not the scrunchie that i remember from the 90s look at this. So this is like a leather i mean hello, all right. So let's talk this leather scrunchie like what yeah. So that's one of my favorite favorite pieces, our vegan leather from our new york collection and that's our extra large scrunchie, and this is the piece we have lots of extra large scrunchies. That, i think, are the thing that are not like from the 90s and they're. Not they're the way someone you know over the age of 25, 40 50 can kind of land on this trend, because it's a real fashion statement piece and not just but maybe not standard scrunchie, not in my side, pony that i just did because that was kind Of how do you, how like? How do you suggest that i love that i love that style with like the low pony, like that they're also really good. If you, you know, put your hair up on top of your head, whether it be in like a sleek, uh bun or you even just do a messy top knot, and then you just place secure it with a regular elastic and then just place it right. On top all right, so like it look, yeah, okay, do you double it? No, no you'd secure it, and then it's just kind of like this and then just let it yep. Let'S do it single yeah, i'm not doing it justice right now, but it is. It is, and even just on your wrist, it's a real statement: uh yeah, it can be a fun statement piece just even just on your wrist, so so cute. So what are like pony is one of my favorite ways to style the extra large scrunchies so extra large scrunchies in a low pony um. I also saw this in there while we're on the topic of ponytail, so like these i'm seeing like a lot of like wait. Let'S go back because i'm a peloton gal - and these are not just hair ties. I have been rocking these in the peloton. They don't move and they don't pull my hair out. Yes, these are, we, you know, have worked really with our manufacturers. These are the next level where years, a couple years advanced on, what's going to be the signature, hair tie, don't get scared of the plastic bead. It helps secure it, so it doesn't break on you, but it does not catch in your hair. Oh not like those metal clasps from i thought the plastic bead was there as like a like a decorative accessory. So so the plastic would be a nicer way to do it back in the day you see those metal pieces that we get yeah and we're you know we're practical, but not functional. So these are a nice like luxe way to do that, and these elastics are not the feedback we get back on. Our hair ties is this is whether you have thin hair or super thick hair. They are the most secure hair tie that you know anyone's ever worn. You can run pelton jump run after, but even if you're just running after your kids all day, your hair will not fall out. Okay. So with these with these ponytails, i'm seeing like a lot of like multiple looks where, like a lot of the trend here um, you know, people on instagram have seen are doing like not just if you're doing like a side pony and i'm only excited, but they Would have like one two, three four yeah yeah yep, that is very on trend, very big piece and we have um this recipe shader from our belt basis, collection, which are our basics. So we also have some elastic collections in our fashion, ones that have a few different types of pieces, so you can really just create that no real fault, you just take the pieces, we have and add them on all right, and then i saw this. I i'd. Surprisingly, never seen something like this before um talk to me about this, so that is so. It actually opens again back to the 90s. It kind of opens like a snap bracelet right and you should throw your hair in a ponytail um and then a lot of times, you'll see where people have like something wrapped around it. This makes it super easy to get this style, so you could hang the ponytail and then you just snap it over and it covers, and it creates a nice cuff around your ponytail yep. Just like that. Can anybody see - and i just had a moment - that's great and you saw how easy it was for me to just - and i realized too, you know what you're right it's much cuter than like you know, wearing just uh um, just a rubber band on your wrist. Well done i love this yes, so what are some of the other big trends that you're seeing in hair, so another big tremor seeing is just like people are stacking, bracelets and rings on their wrists and their fingers they're also stacking hair clips in their hair. So taking up, you know four or five and just put even three and just placing them in together, although they're all the same or you take three different ones, we have some all the few different making them mix and match. Sets you get a different look, but you're only gon na buy one you'll have to buy three different sets of all the same things, and do you have any okay yeah, because i i had just recently bought this um this this bobby pin that says glam. I know i'm like trying because i was like i need something to kind of like when i just feel so lazy. I don't want to do anything. It does totally glam up the look, but i sometimes they're hard to like keep in right like bobby pins, believe it or not, depending on the weight like, are there any good tricks to kind of so a good trick is to hair spray. The piece before you put it in so it adds that little extra, sticky texture and you can even don't be afraid to just put some hair spray over it. You know it'll wipe right off the you know when you take it out, just give it a quick little rinse and it'll come right off of it. Oh, my goodness, see that's exactly like so smart um, okay, so we've got the layered hair pins and again all of this stuff will really help elevate. Your zoom look and in like 30 seconds. Yes, super quick super easy to see the haircuts, even the zoom weddings. Coming up that you're zooming into just throw those on and you look like you're ready for a formal event. Can i talk about this? That i was super super excited about, so i am like i throw my hair in a bun all the time um the twist pins, so for anybody who's not watching this right now. These are like bobby pins that look like a double helix right. So it's like two twisted or corkscrew. If you will um these things are so amazing, uh i'd, never seen them so um uh like so much like um flare on the back. I have some regular ones that are just they're, so great for securing your hair yeah and, let's see so. This is so pretty. I have not tried these but like. If you kind of do, i'm gon na do like a side chin on and then it adds just like that beautiful, like one in the top one in the bottom. I mean forgive me because this is kind of like a rough and tumble, but this is so crazy. They really go in yes, yeah they're, a great um, just different piece and just a little to add a little extra um bling or to your probably also do it like right in the center, and sometimes you can even do i've seen people do where they they Want like that, really tight sleek look they'll, do it secure it on their own and then in the center, take them and just twist them in right. So these things, no matter what style you have, if you want it to go and look how beautiful this is with the pearl right. So we're talking about wedding season is and if weddings are coming back up and you do actually get to go to one in person - it's so beautiful and you will be able to dance the night away. I know this because i i have these um from goody. Sorry uh, you know i bought them like 10 years ago, because these are the things like regular bobby pins. These are like superglue. They will keep your style. So like okay. So let's talk about this, you have new collections that come out. You said once a month yep, every four to six weeks. We have new collections so like what do you like? What are you hearing right now are, like you know, we just kind of went over some of the big trends for 2021. I'M sure the chunky headbands oversized scrunchies layered clips um and uh layered bobby pins, layered hair ties. If you will um and then certainly adding some bling to your looks what else? What else do you sort of see on the horizon? So i know coming up through you know, going into summer um there's everything from you know prince we have our cottage collection, which is like plaids and stripes, which are great additions. Um to our existing questions. Don'T really have a ton of that right now, um also coming in july, we have our desert sky collection, which is um. One of the big trends which is last summer was all about the big bright tie-dye um. Now, i don't think that's necessarily going there, but really kind of they just more neutral diy. Looking tie dyes that are more natural and aren't that, like in your face bright kind of hippie-ish um, it's much more laid. You know laid-back boho feeling to it so down the big trend, that's coming um and then head wraps are going to be a bit. You know those headbands and then head wraps are also we're seeing more and more different uh ways to style head wrap. So you talking about, like the actual like gorgeous, i am like now wearing almost like a turban in the south of france, kind of yeah mm-hmm yeah that look obsessed. Yes, these reflections have head wrapped and that have head wrapped as part of them. I love it and like kate again, these are like so affordable. I i mean and just what a gorgeous, what a gorgeous gift. Because then look it's like everything then has its place right and you can kind of get it all back in the box and it's like so neat and it just sits on your shelf um. I put it in backwards, that's what the problem is uh, so so pretty so, if people want to know more about these collections, where should they go? Go to our website? Bellfix.Com, that's right! You know we're exclusively sold online through our site, so you can go there and you can see sign up for our newsletter. We send out all different. You know weekly um, where it comes with new trends: new styles, a lot of hair tutorials how to actually style our pieces um, and you can also be the first to know about when our new collections are launching. I love this. Thank you so much um. Can i ask you, do you have a favorite in the line favorite? I know it's funny, every new collection, i you know you see a lot of people on you know celebrity and stuff with their questions online. When they're introduced and saying this is my favorite. It really is true, like you know, now, the pretty in pink is just all things: you're loving versus the newest. Yes, i'm loving, but i do love. I mean our vegan leather pieces they're, so soft they're and um high, looking like they they're, not they're, not by any means like cheap pleather um. You know you they definitely get away with potentially being real leather. I'M surprised, i thought i thought i thought it was squirt horn. I thought it was calfskin leather. I mean it's soft. It is. This does not feel like pleather at all. This is gorgeous, not super shiny. You know that was my bedding. I didn't want anything that was like super shiny or super. You know it had like that more subtle it does. If you're looking here, i it's, it's there's a ring light blasting, like 8 000 lumens at us right now, so this doesn't have to be right. It'S very it's very um, it's very, very chic, and this comes in two sizes uh. We just have this friendship right now in black in the large size, and then we have headbands. We have the black, the snake skin and a camel. I love it. Oh, my gosh, i'm so excited okay, so i'm gon na actually leave us right now. Um. I want everybody at home. Send me your pictures. I want to see what you're doing with this there's no excuse not to look good, or at least somewhat put together on our zooms anymore, just saying and like no no excuse at all under 20 bucks, like that's like remember, when you used to go to starbucks And get lattes yes just put it towards the headband sign. Now you can add a latte fashion. Oh did i just do that. I did sorry um. Thank you so much for being with us. Thank you so much for having me. If anybody has any questions, they want to ask me, i'm always happy to answer. When i get my headbands in, i will do a little social media show, for you i'll, also work on playing around with these uh and put them up on social. So you can see some of the looks i'm playing with. You can write to me at hello, our beauty, podcast. If you have any questions you can find us on instagram and facebook at artbeadpodcast and as always, we will see you next tuesday. You