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Ilise Carter on Muck Rack

Ilise Carter

New York
Covers:  Beauty, fashion, skincare, makeup, lipstick, drag, camp, cult beauty, offbeat, pop culture, circus, sideshow, American history.
Doesn't Cover: politics, finance, sports, guns
Sweetheart of the Sideshow Author of The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American History Same on the ot apps. lipstickbook.com She/Her

Ilise Carter’s Journalist Portfolio

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The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American History

The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American History

Globe Pequot — The Red Menace: How Lipstick Changed the Face of American History In America, lipstick is the foundation of empires; it’s a signature of identity; it’s propaganda, self-expression, oppression, freedom, and rebellion. It’s a multi-billion-dollar industry and one of our most iconic accessories of gender. This engaging and entertaining history of lipstick from the colonies to the present will give readers a new view of the little tube’s big place in modern America from defining the middle class to building Fortune 500 businesses to being present at Stonewall and being engineered for space travel.

10 Great Sustainable Lipsticks

10 Great Sustainable Lipsticks

Shondaland — Throughout the ages, women have been rocking bold red lips, from Nefertiti to Marilyn Monroe to AOC. It's a timeless power move. But with so many shades of red on the market, it's easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to pick the best color.

The Soothing Power of Scented Cosmetics

The Soothing Power of Scented Cosmetics

Shondaland — Our sense of smell is a powerful, primal connection to the world around us. Just a whiff of the right aroma can spark memories, reduce feelings of stress, and even subtly affect the way we shop , which may be one of the reasons why an increasing number of beauty brands are incorporating scent, particularly scents of our favorite desserts, into their products.

How Black-owned cosmetics brand Mented defied a lipstick-sale slump during COVID-19 to post recor...

How Black-owned cosmetics brand Mented defied a lipstick-sale slump during COVID-19 to post recor...

Business Insider — Lipstick manufacturers raked in $4 billion in sales in the US alone in 2019 but quickly saw numbers drop in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, as stores closed and people stayed home. Amanda E. Johnson, the cofounder of Mented, a Black-owned cosmetic brand, said her company's online-only platform was an important asset as the world went into lockdown.

How Do You Open an Interactive Museum in a Pandemic? Very Carefully

How Do You Open an Interactive Museum in a Pandemic? Very Carefully

The New York Times — Curators of the new Makeup Museum had to completely rethink their first exhibition. New York's first Makeup Museum, an immersive, interactive concept focusing on touch and experimentation, was slated to open in May.

Perspective | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's makeup routine reflects the enduring power of lipstick

Perspective | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's makeup routine reflects the enduring power of lipstick

The Washington Post — On Oct. 28, 1930, a year into the Great Depression, the New York Times declared that the "Women of America Are Not Cutting Down on Cosmetics, Manufacturers Are Told." According to B.F. Breslauer, an industry expert quoted in the article, the average American woman spent about $150 a year on beauty in an era when the approximate average household income hovered around $1,300.

Improving Your Skin Health With Nutrition

Improving Your Skin Health With Nutrition

Shondaland — From milk baths to radium water, women have spent centuries trying to find the link between a glowing complexion and what we eat and drink. The quest continues today with a new generation of supplements and diets ideas that promise clear, youthful skin. But do these work?

A Roundup of Sunscreen Products Just in Time for Summer

A Roundup of Sunscreen Products Just in Time for Summer

Shondaland — Even though this summer may not feature the usual social whirl of beach days and cocktail parties by the pool, most people are still heading outdoors in some way, be it for a walk, jog, hike, or any other outdoor self-care activity. With that in mind, it's good to keep some sunscreen products on hand.

Caring For Your Skin During the Pandemic

Caring For Your Skin During the Pandemic

Shondaland — Now that cloth masks and shelter-in-place are a part of the everyday routine for a lot of Americans, we may have to address our skincare routines. Perhaps you find yourself frantically Googling solutions for maskne - acne that results from wearing a mask.

Soon You'll Be Able to Print Your Own Lipstick At Home

Soon You'll Be Able to Print Your Own Lipstick At Home

Shondaland — It's the classic problem with buying lipstick: You love it online or you're wooed by the color you see in the container - but once you try it on at home you find yourself saying "This shade is too bright," "This finish is too matte," "This look is so last week."

You Don't Have to Follow Eyebrow Trends

You Don't Have to Follow Eyebrow Trends

Shondaland — Eyebrows, like other fad items - such as hemlines and hair colors - can vary widely from decade to decade, waxing and waning in terms thickness, shape, and intensity of upkeep from bold to bald. This year, fashionable brows are full, yet sculpted.

I'm A Funeral Director, And This Is What I Wear To Work

I'm A Funeral Director, And This Is What I Wear To Work

HuffPost — When describing her career, Stephanie Castro prefers the term funeral director. Mortician isn't exactly wrong, but funeral director "has less of a creepy air to it," the New York-based professional told HuffPost.

remembering the legacy of voguing pioneer hector xtravaganza

remembering the legacy of voguing pioneer hector xtravaganza

i-D — Photo by Sean Zanni. Left to Right: Grandfather Hector Xtravaganza, Gisele Xtravaganza, Jose Xtravaganza, G Bizarre Xtravaganza With the sensual snap of his tagline, "I am still moist," Hector Xtravaganza served it all on the runway: face, body, fashion moment, butch king, and more.

how are celebrities going to interpret the met gala's 'camp' theme?

how are celebrities going to interpret the met gala's 'camp' theme?

i-D — Katy Perry and Rihanna attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Tachman/Getty Images for Vogue) The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fashion Institute Gala is the event for followers of celebrity, style, and celebrities with style.

Iris Apfel Talks Style, Originality & Becoming A Cover Girl At 93

Iris Apfel Talks Style, Originality & Becoming A Cover Girl At 93

BUST Magazine — "I don't like to give advice. People have to find themselves," style icon Iris Apfel tells me over the phone from her vacation home in Florida. But at age 93, she's had such a rich lifetime full of experiences, people always want to know what she thinks about everything.

How One Publisher is Rescuing 1970s Gay Porn Paperbacks

How One Publisher is Rescuing 1970s Gay Porn Paperbacks

Rolling Stone — Gay porn novels ('stroke books') of the 1970s have been given a second life thanks to 120 Days Books.

What Taylor Swift & Justin Bieber Don't Get About "Goth"

What Taylor Swift & Justin Bieber Don't Get About "Goth"

Refinery29 — Long a staple fashion subculture, Goth has been dragged into the bright glare of the mainstream with long-time signature items, like dark lips, skull embellishments, and coal-black palettes, recently popping up on surprisingly sunny people - such as Taylor Swift, whose latest style chapter has been called goth by more than one publication.

American Horror Story's Mat Fraser won't star in your "inspiration porn"

American Horror Story's Mat Fraser won't star in your "inspiration porn"

The A.V. Club — After 20 years of touring the world as an acclaimed actor, disability advocate, and cabaret and burlesque star, Mat Fraser is about to be an overnight sensation in America. His role as Paul the Illustrated Seal, one of the freaks on American Horror Story: Freak Show, is sure to raise some eyebrows-as well as some conversations about the display of those with "radically outsider bodies."

American RuVolution: Drag's journey from felony to prime time

American RuVolution: Drag's journey from felony to prime time

The A.V. Club — Before the days of Vegas revues, commercial endorsements, and RuPaul's Drag Race, the glamour and beauty of drag often hid a rough business. As Flawless Mother Sabrina (née Jack Doroshow) recalls, "I actually have a list that shows all the states and all the various penalties... it was a felony-cross-dressing was a felony!"

How Magnetic Lashes Became the Biggest Thing in Beauty

How Magnetic Lashes Became the Biggest Thing in Beauty

The Wall Street Journal — These newfangled false eyelashes-a real challenge to apply-were the top trending beauty search on Google in 2018. We quickly discovered why.

Morticians Explain How People Choose Their Last Outfits

Morticians Explain How People Choose Their Last Outfits

Vice — The body of Aretha Franklin lies in repose.Photo by Paul Sancya-Pool/Getty Images President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest sporting a pair of grey novelty socks featuring jets flying in formation-a nod to his military service and penchant for whimsical socks.

Strike a Pose (but Be Ready to Sweat)

Strike a Pose (but Be Ready to Sweat)

The New York Times — Fit City Born on the dance floors of Harlem in the 1960s and '70s, vogueing gave physical shape to the inner beauty, struggles and desires of generations of marginalized people.

Do Korean Sheet Masks Actually Improve Your Skin?

Do Korean Sheet Masks Actually Improve Your Skin?

The Wall Street Journal — As celebrities like Bella Hadid and Jimmy Fallon embrace the social media phenomenon, we ask: Do sheet masks work or are they just packets of cuteness?

Meet the Strongman Turned Opera Star Who Can Lift a Woman With His Teeth

Meet the Strongman Turned Opera Star Who Can Lift a Woman With His Teeth

Men's Health — Titano Oddfellow, 45, is a professional sideshow performer who is appearing in the Metropolitan Opera's current production of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte He holds multiple strongman records, including one for "Heaviest Person Lifted Using Teeth" and "Fastest Time To Bend Five Screwdrivers With Bare Hands" He swears he doesn't work out and that his training is largely "mind over matter" Titano Oddfellow doesn't even lift, bro.
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