Naman Shrestha
Think about it — you have a fancy party to attend and are ready with your outfit and touchup, but something seems to be missing. Adding a little bit of sparkle and bling to your hair and accessories might just do the trick and make your outfit feel and appear all set for the event. With the introduction of Blinger in the market, this process is made a whole lot easier. When the founder and her daughter presented the product on the 20th episode of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ season 15, Blinger garnered some more attention and curiosity from the viewers who were not aware of the brand.
Blinger: Who Are They And What Do They Do?
The story of how Blinger was established is inspiring, to say the least. Its founder, Angie Cella, is a 1994 University of Oklahoma graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and French. While in the European country, she took care of kids as an au pair for a while. She was bitten by the travel bug quite early in her life since her father loves to explore different parts of the world. Angie has immense experience in the field of Sales and Consultancy, having held positions of Sales Manager at Colorado Prime Sales and Consultant at Winstar Communications from 1997 to 2000 and Raindance Communications from 2003 to 2006. She also donned the hat of a CEO for 3 years in 1999 while working at BEICOM.
In 2006, she secured the position of Vice President at Arbonne International LLC. On the personal front, Angie has built up a beautiful life for herself and her family, which comprises two sons and two daughters. On the night of November 2, 2014, a dream about a product that would dispense blingy stones directly to one’s hair jolted the mother of four awake from her slumber. A few weeks after experimenting with her daughter’s hair, Angie was struck with another dream wherein she says she was told by Gold to craft the product.
Believing in her vision, she embarked on a journey to literally realize her dream. Nevertheless, her path wasn’t devoid of hindrances. Over the next four years, she sought assistance from several freelance engineering firms via Upwork. Unfortunately, none yielded the desired results as she faced financial challenges and creative difficulties, eventually exhausting her savings and landing her in serious debt. Not one to give up that easily, Angie picked herself back up. In early 2018, she approached a fifth firm and finally had a feasible and working prototype in just 30 days.
Having used up all her savings, Angie had no means to make the payment. That’s when she turned to her biggest cheerleaders — her kids. She candidly posed them the question: “What if we sell the house and I’ll build the [manufacturing] tool myself in China? We’ll just live in an apartment for a year or two. What do you think?” To her elation, she received a supportive nod from her kids and marched forward to make her dream a reality. She began manufacturing the product while working with Chinese businesspeople all summer.
In October of the same year, Angie took her product to Dallas, Texas, and earned herself a product run for 100 Blingers at the Dallas Toy Fair and later presented it to Walmart at the Women in Toys event. After tremendous success at both events, she knew she had a winner at hand. Without wasting any time, she joined hands with Wicked Cool Toys and Blinger was sold through big corporations such as Walmart, Target, and Amazon. Angie tasted success in 2019, with the sale of around 50 million Blingers. The next year, the founder received a Wonder Woman Award from Women in Toys. In 2021, the single mother and her four kids moved into their own place that she bought with the fruits of her labor.
Talking about the product, Blinger is a glam styling tool in a plastic stamper form with a carousel where you can place the rhinestone disc for gem dispensing. To use it, one had to load the carousel with the rhinestone disc of their choice, place a strand of hair between the carousel and the top of the handle, click, and enjoy the bling! The gems are made with a proprietary adhesive that is long-lasting but does not harm the skin, hair, or any surface you stick the gem on. Just like hair, you can add bling to your phone case, shoes, clothes, barbie, and stationery.
Blinger Update: Where Are They Now?
With its base set in Avondale, Pennsylvania, Blinger is bedazzling the hair of several beautiful people in various parts of the world. While Angie did accumulate $10,000 via Kickstarter in 2017, as of writing, her dream project is doing quite well on its own. The eyeballs it garnered during its appearance on ‘Shark Tank,’ as well as the positive word of mouth it received upon being featured on Vogue, Byrdie, CBS, NBC, and QVC, have been acting as catalysts to ensure its steady success in the long run. Over the years, it has become popular as it is easy to use and offers multiple types of gems to choose from.
From young school kids to brides and from homecoming to pep rallies, the product is an instant hit product among bling fans of all ages and across all events! As of writing, it is available for purchase online on its official website and Amazon. The Blinger Starter Kit with Styling Tool + 75 Precision-Cut Glass Crystals and Blinger Glam Collection Starter Kit with Gem Stamper + 225 Colorful Acrylic Gems are priced at $49, while the refill packs comprising colorful crystals, deluxe crystals, pearls, acrylic gems and rhinestones range from $9.99 to $30. Apart from these, you can also find several other Starter packs.
Currently, the company is selling two exclusive Blinger sets — a Shimmer Starter Kit with Gold-Plated Styling Tool + 90 Precision-Cut Swarovski Glass Crystals for $69 and a Vanity Starter Set with Styling Tool + 150 Precision-Cut Glass Crystals for $89. With a 30-day return policy, it offers free shipping across the country and also ships the products internationally upon request. Furthermore, those looking to sell it in their stores by buying it in bulk can do so by joining the Blinger retailer network and availing the products at wholesale prices. With a mission “to brighten lives” and “brighten your day, one sparkle at a time,” Blinger has already established its presence in the beauty industry and is growing in reach with each passing day.
Read More: The Mint Hair Product Shark Tank: Revolutionizing the Hair Care Industry
