My great-nephew Elliot loves Olivia the pig books. The one he's into right now is all about opposites. And apparently my fondness for makeup is evident even to a two year old, because everytime he comes to this page, he points at fancy Olivia and says, "Susie!"

Okay, I admit it. I'm one of those women who prefers not to leave the house without lipstick. Mascara's right up there on my list, too, along with Carmex to tame my eyebrows. But hey, I don't wear pearls like Olivia. Or big red bows around my ears. (Girl, that's just tacky. Love the shoes, though) And I haven't gone topless since I was three.

Still, I'm a fool for cosmetics. I love the look, the feel, the smell...the promise. Now, I consider myself an intelligent, reasonably grounded woman. I know my limitations in the beauty department. I have zero interest in Botox and no one's putting this girl under general anesthesia to take a scalpel to my face. But for a few bucks and no blood spilled you can do amazing things with a little mineral foundation and a stick of cream blush. If makeup doesn't precisely hide a multitude of sins it at least mutes them a little.

The soulmate and BFF Mimi like to make fun of my dresser in the bathroom. And I admit, the thing's loaded with way more crap than one woman needs since I'm not always great about thinning out the rejects. But I'm an experimenter by nature and I've discovered some great stuff along the way. Jane Iredale cosmetics, especially their Sugar and Butter lip treatment. Cargo blu_ray compact of four lip glosses (seeing a trend here?) With this little beauty you can customize your lip color. I usually have oily skin but this winter it got really dry and I discovered La Roche-Posay Nutritic, which was great. It healed the dryness without leaving a greasy sheen.

So, Elliot (at the Whaletail) will probably continue seeing me in lipstick and mascara on our Friday morning walks. But how about the rest of you? If makeup bores you silly, what does shake your tambourine? What do you have a lust-on for that friends and lovers just don't get?

Tell Mother Susan. You know she's always willing to lend an ear.