Photography Maxwell Vice, Courtesy of SHAYNEOLIVERBeautyBackstage‘Decay and decadence’: 5 extreme beauty looks from Shayne Oliver’s showPollen-drenched lashes, ornate floral face adornments and Swarovski-covered manicures, the hair and make-up at SHAYNEOLIVER AW22 was a fantastical explosion of beautyShareLink copied ✔️February 14, 2022BeautyBackstageTextAlex Peters Pat McGrath has done it again. There is no questioning that McGrath is one of the most innovative, subversive, creative make-up artists working today; after decades in the industry she is still offering up beauty looks that look fresh and exciting – and these latest ones are no exception. Over the weekend, Shayne Oliver made his much-anticipated return to fashion, debuting his namesake label SHAYNEOLIVER at New York Fashion Week across three nights of music, fashion and art. From a melting, abstract sculpture of Oliver himself, to performances from Arca and Eartheater, and some white vinyl boots with mega-elongated pointed toes, there was a lot to take in. And the beauty looks caught our attention, too. A fantastical collection of weird and wonderful looks, the show marked the first collaboration between Oliver and McGrath and set the beauty bar extremely high on the first day of NYFW. Described by McGrath as “human bouquets – an explosion of beauty”, the make-up was inspired by Oliver’s references of “nature, decay, and decadence”, which were then reimagined by McGrath into nine different looks. Looking like magical forest creatures, models were literally blooming thanks to their ornate, pollen-drenched lashes. Petals, feathers, crystals, clay, paint, pearls, glitter and piercings were also pulled from McGrath's own archive of multimedia materials to adorn models’ faces and create the organic, opulent looks. Here are five beauty looks from the show and head over to fashion to catch up on everything else that went down here. ASTRAL GHOST OPULENCE We have to start with this look described by McGrath as “astral ghost opulence”, and which saw models covered in ornate flowers and drenched in white clay, which dried and cracked on the skin. Red-rimmed eyes gave a haunted feeling to the look, while glittering crystals elevated it into another world. POLLEN-DRENCHED LASHES Photography Maxwell Vice, Courtesy of SHAYNEOLIVER “Shayne loved the idea of pollen-drenched lashes, so the story really grew from the lashes,” McGrath told Vogue about the blooming floral eye looks that many of the models sported. To keep focus on the colourful statement petals, skin and lips were kept dewy but natural while hair was fashioned into horns by Holli Smith. METAL WORKS Photography Maxwell Vice, Courtesy of SHAYNEOLIVER Not all the models looked like ethereal creatures on a forest odyssey, however. Contrasting the floral motif was one of steel – several models including LA Timpa walked the runway with their faces covered in piercings including eyebrow rings, safety pins in the nose and crystal studs across their skin. OTHERWORDLY EATER With her floor-length crimson and silver braids, white lashes, flawless skin, and long white veil, Eartheater came out to perform looking like the Virgin Mary if the Virgin Mary was an interdimensional demon bride. NAILED IT Accompanying the out-of-this-world hair and make-up were nails by Dawn Sterling, who created a range of elaborate manicures. There were green, stem-like nails to complement the floral motif, custom acrylic white powder handmade flowers on the fingers of ghostly models, and extravagant nail caps made entirely of Swarovski crystals. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREBDSM masks and shaving cream beards: The best beauty from PFW SS26What does the food of the future look like?VanmoofDJ Fuckoff’s guide to living, creating and belonging in BerlinLouis Souvestre is the hairstylist behind FKA twigs’ otherworldly looksCoperni’s latest innovation? Bacteria-infused ‘skincare’ clothingEstee Laundry and beauty’s second wave of accountability cultureOctober 2025 Horoscopes: Situationships are progressing into relationshipsConcept store Ap0cene invites us into its weird beauty worldJoe Kelly is the hairstylist saving the big, sexy blowoutVaquera digs through the lost and found for their debut fragranceGabar is the brand turning Myanmar folklore into scentMUA Jeannette Williams adds a sick, twisted edge to video vixens