ILISE S  CARTER is freelance writer,  consulting copywriter to the beauty industry,  and sideshow performer based in New York City. She has written for Allure, New York  Times, the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal,  and others, with a focus on pop culture and  beauty. In addition, she’s spent over a decade  as a consulting copywriter for beauty brands  such as Shiseido, bliss, Laura Mercier, Avon,  L’Oréal, and Madame CJ Walker, specializing in  brand voice and identity. As her stage persona,  The Lady Aye, she has worked as professional  sideshow performer (sword swallower, fire eater, blockhead, and pain-proof girl) and emcee  with acts ranging from Rob Zombie to Cirque  du Soleil and has appeared on TV’s Gossip  Girl, Odditties, The President Show, Mysteries at the Museum, and Dickinson. Carter holds a BA  in American Studies from Barnard College at  Columbia University and a certificate in film  production from NYU.