In the 2000s, rhinestones could be found on nearly everything. Jean pockets. T-shirts. Headbands. With the handy BeDazzler, you could embellish your clothing and accessories in the comfort of your home. The adornments also made their way to the runway thanks to legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath, who showed us how to combine the gems with high fashion. Most recently, we’ve been spotting rhinestones and embellishments on people’s hairlines.
Embellished hairlines have popped up on some of our favorite celebrities this year. In January, Alicia Keys hosted the 2020 Grammy Awards wearing straight-back cornrows with little gems in the swoops of her slicked baby hairs. That same month, singer Tinashe showed up to the 2020 Roc Nation Brunch with her take on the look which included a long, twisted ponytail. Instead of gems, her hairstylist affixed silver hollow triangles and circles along with her baby hairs and a bit past her hairline. They shined subtly from afar but made a major impact up close.
The jewels were even spied on the edges of one of America’s most famous children: North West. In early March, her mother Kim Kardashian West shared the photo of the 6-year-old to Instagram with the caption, “Paris hotel shenanigans.” West wore two cute tousled space buns with styled edges. Along her middle part and hairline, you can see the expertly-spaced gems.
Decorating your hairline like this is an easy way to elevate a simple style. All you need is a good edge control or pomade, adornments of your choice, and an adhesive. For the latter, there are different options to choose from. Hairstylist Nigella Miller recommends Got2b’s Ultra Glued Invincible Styling Gel to ensure that whichever appliqués you use stay put. Makeup artist Rahnell Branton, who has done many of these bedazzled hairline looks, likes to use lash glue, specifically Duo’s Brush-On Striplash Adhesive.
Because I like experimenting with my hair, I wanted to try the trend on myself. I started with a 2-day-old wash-and-go brushed up into two high puffs, a pretty standard style for me. I grabbed my tools — edge control, tweezer, and gel — and got to work.
I am not a baby hair wizard by any means. While I would love to be able to create intricate loops and spirals, I keep it pretty simple because then I’m less likely to mess up — one or two swoops on each side of my head, and I’m good. I keep a few edge control gels in rotation, but this time around, I used the Eden Bodyworks Coconut Shea Control Edge Glaze because it has a great hold, and there’s no flakiness.
After the edges were laid, the tricky part was putting the gems on. To start, I used Got2b’s Glued Styling Spiking Hair Glue as an adhesive for the emerald-green gems I purchased from my local Family Dollar. Using the pointy end of my Baby Tress Edge Styler, I dipped into the gel and applied it on the backs of each. I always give the Got2b gel a few seconds to get tacky for optimal stickiness. The rhinestone did end up sticking to the brush, so I just plucked it off with my fingers.
Next, came placing the gems. As much as I wanted to be super creative, I also wanted to make sure it looked good. I decided to place four rhinestones on each side. The tweezer was great for gripping the gems, but to make sure they stuck properly, I held each one in place with my fingers for a couple of seconds.
Honestly, after this little trial run, I will be experimenting more with vivid rhinestones of different sizes — may be acute a little trio of jewel-toned ones underneath each loop of my baby hair or purple ones lining the entire length of my hair part. Even though I’m stuck on the couch (for now), this style will be clutch for any last-minute plans I have in the future.
