There are few childhood girl crushes that come close to Brenda Walsh. Kelly Taylor was up there, but she betrayed her best friend, and this was a major deal breaker for my six-year-old heart. (Kelly circa Brandon-and-Kelly however, is perfection.)
How does a six-year-old fall into watching Beverly Hills 90210, you ask? You're going to have to blame my 12-year-old babysitter/cousin, who would bring over recorded episodes on VHS. While my tiny little heart relished what it would like to be a high-schooler at West Beverly, she was able to keep a fairly young child occupied with ease.
To me, Brenda, as played by Shannen Doherty, was perfect. Reliving these moments on YouTube, I realized I must have somehow subconsciously drilled her life into my head, because later in life, we both had fibroadenomas, moved to London to follow our dreams, and have left eyes slightly higher than our rights. I know, right? We might as well be the same person.
Truthfully, Brenda was everything I wanted to be but couldn't be: a gorgeous trendsetter, a twin, a style icon. She was vivacious, smart and feisty, and once she set her sights on something, she got it. Except for Dylan, but that was a tragedy and I don't really talk about that.
Remember when she caught Kelly and Dylan at the restaurant together and Kelly denied being a bimbo? To which Brenda replied, "I was always taught that if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck…" Oh, Brenda. I've yet to use that line in real life, but I've imagined it many, many times.
With '90s revival in full swing, it's only fitting that I devote a beauty look to the flawless Brenda Walsh. Though I pale in comparison to Minnesota's most valuable gift to Beverly Hills (sorry, Brandon), her makeup look is pretty timeless, depending on the degree of matteness.
Brenda kept things pretty simple in the eye department (though she started going a bit heavier towards her later seasons). This look is heavily focused on matte everything, so Urban Decay's Basics Palette is great for this.
First, I used Naked 2 and brought it up to the lid. I also used a small round brush and swept some across my bottom lash line.
Using an angled brush, I added Faint to my upper and lower lash lines.
Using a dark brown eyeliner, similar to Clinique's Quickliner in Intense Sable, I lined my upper and lower lash line using the thinnest of lines.
Brenda's eyebrows are of medium thickness, but are quite neat and graphic. They get stronger and more arched as the seasons progress. I filled my brows in using my Anastasia Brow Kit and finished my lashes with a couple of coats of mascara.
Brenda's skin is pretty much as flawless as they come. She had a very matte finish to her skin, so I used plenty of finishing powder. Instead of foundation, I used a couple of drops of concealer mixed with my moisturizer, a tip I learned from one of Gossmakeupartist's YouTube videos. It gives a real flawless finish without looking too overdone.
Brenda had cheekbones to die for, so instead of blush, I contoured my cheeks using (wait for it) Urban Decay's Buck.
For the lips, I mixed a wine coloured lipstick with Smashbox's Latte Matte to make it slightly more brown.
Add a choker and you're done!
Here is the final look:
What do you think, would I fit in at the Peach Pit? Were you a Brenda, Kelly, Donna or Andrea? Did you think Beverly Hills went downhill when Brenda left? Should I do Kelly next? (Spoiler: it's the exact same look, with a redder lip.)
