Getting a flattering haircut is one of the best beauty moves you can make, but enhancing your gorgeous look with fashionable hair accessories takes your style to the next level.

Unless you're particularly fashion-forward, you may not pay much attention to hair accessories. For many women past their teens, the only hair accessories in the bathroom cabinet are ponytail holders worn for the morning jog, and bobby pins kept aside for bad hair days. While these old stand-bys are useful and practical, it can be fun to add a little color and pizzazz to your hairstyle.

Headbands

The headband is a classic and easy-to-wear hair accessory that's very hot right now. Headbands help take the hair out of your face without constraining it with lots of pins and holders. This is a great look to choose when you're growing out bangs and don't want them falling into your eyes. For the most part, headbands are a youthful look, but at the same time they're one of the hair accessories that older women can wear successfully, because they can be worn in ways that are understated and sophisticated.

The headbands that celebrities and designers love this season are pretty diverse, style-wise. Metallic headbands with small embellishments are very popular for 2011, as are basic plastic headbands covered in neutral-colored fabric that are jazzed up with sequins and other posh details. Leather is a huge trend for spring 2011 and beyond, so you'll see these items in both natural and dyed bright colors, and in simple, braided, and belt styles.

Headbands offer you stylish simplicity that can be worn to work during the day, or to a fun evening event. For a good example of a subtle yet artful headband, check out Goody's Selena band. It has the look of fine glazed china with its delicate gold floral design.

Wearing barrettes can be tricky; if you're not careful, you can end up looking like you're posing for your 4^th grade class photo. Leave the pastel plastic hair clips at home and take a look at the fun and fashionable barrettes on the scene for 2011. For day, you can go with the classic tortoiseshell barrette. These accessories come in a variety of sizes; a larger one can be worn to hold a smooth low ponytail in place. The shaped, metallic barrette is very in right now. These eye-catching clips can be worn to add some sparkle to your outfit when you're wearing a neutral pantsuit during the day. Just remember to keep it simple and save the major bling for the evening; you can have plenty of fun with barrette choices when the sun goes down.

There are event-ready barrettes and clips that are encrusted with faux jewels or decorated with colorful sprays of feathers, which are especially hot this year. The red and black Feathered Hair Clip 2-Pack from Torrid (average price; $14) is youthful, but with a cool vintage feel that keeps it from seeming too trendy or precious. We also love the bounty of floral and feathery designs available from HairFlowers.net (priced from $2.99 and up).

Hair Jewelry

Hair jewelry is, as the name implies, jewelry for your hair. Hair jewelry can come in the form of headbands, combs, barrettes, or other types of hair holders. What sets it apart is that it's decidedly dressy and meant to be worn to formal events because it features more expensive embellishments, like real crystals and pearls. Hair jewelry is commonly seen on brides and bridesmaids, but lately it's showing up on celebrities at red carpet events and inspiring everyday women to make it part of their evening wardrobe. Tigerlilly is a company that specializes in bridal hair jewelry. It features some incredibly beautiful designs, including vintage and trendy styles. Their pieces are high-quality and not easy on the wallet, but if you have a wedding or other fancy event in your near future you might want to make the investment in a one-of-a-kind hair accessory.

Hair Sticks

If you like to wear your hair in a bun, hair sticks are a cute way to add some style to your "do. Hair sticks are basically chopsticks that you arrange in your bun to help hold it in place and enhance your look.

You can find plain everyday hair sticks fairly easily, but if you want to really make a fashion statement, you should have at least 1 or 2 pairs of hair sticks that lend an air of fun or glamour. Dressy Tresses' Fairy Wand Hair Sticks (average price; $29.99) are black, decoratively carved sticks with multicolored mirrored beads at the tips; an instant way to add sparkle to an otherwise run-of-the-mill twist.

Floral hair accessories are hot items, especially in the spring and summer months. Some hair flowers can look very realistic, while others are made to look bigger than life. Depending on your mood, you can choose from tropical flowers, roses, daisies....just about any flower that strikes your fancy. Whatever kind of floral hair accessory you choose, it can help you add some drama to a simple dress or a nice blouse paired with designer jeans.

My Diva Closet offers some great choices in floral hair accessories, from attention-getting, Oscar-night blooms to cute little floral bows. To make an eye-catching entrance, try their Pale Cream Gardenia hair clip (suggested price; $8).

Head Wraps

The wide, floral satin fabric tie-on bands from last season are still going strong in all sizes, from petite headband widths to full-on head wraps. Head wraps can be great hair accessories for those days when you'd rather not have your hair scrutinized (growing out an old haircut, camouflaging roots, battling humidity, etc.). L. Erickson's It's a Wrap! (suggested price; $72) is a combination scarf, sash and head band that's made of 100% silk and comes in an impressive array of colors and prints. Get it in their "Pepper Flower" design and you'll look ready for a day on the open water.