I’m riding a wave of nerdiness right now, loving the clever wordsmithery that went into naming Eye Love Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel ($15).

Eye Love Cucumbers… Get it?

My name is Karen, and I’m addicted to puns.

(HI, KAREN!)

Okay, so the name was the real reason I wanted to give the product a try.

Cucumbers: not just for salads anymore

One of several natural skincare goodies in the Yes to Cucumbers line, Eye Love Cucumbers Eye Gel is a highly-absorbent, moisturizing gel with some great things to offer.

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Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! Bath & Body Works discovered an interesting way to combine two of my favorite things in the world — travel and hand soap.

Each of the five new scents in the American Grown line of limited edition hand soaps and shower gels is based on a different US destination.

Available from now through September, there’s Savannah Mint, Montana Sky, Napa Grape, Siesta Key Lemon and Washington Apple, thank you very much.

BBW scored by going with big, colorful bottles and pegged them at the right price. The 24-oz bottles of body wash retail for $13, the 16-oz hand soaps for $8, but they’re on sale now for $10 and $5, respectively.

Not a bad deal, yah?

Even though I’m a little OCD about hand washing, 16 ounces is a lot of product — enough to even last me a while.

I’ve sampled four of the five fragrances (haven’t tried the Savannah Mint), and each of them brought back fond memories of adventure…

Montana Sky

Montana, 2001

Some years ago I visited a friend in Montana and felt like an ant under those endless skies. But Montana Sky smells more aquatic than Big Sky Country to me. It’s very fresh and light and reminds me of MAC’s Turquatic fragrance, a personal fave. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Napa Grape

Napa Valley, 2009

I don’t live far from Napa’s wine country (it’s about two hours north) but still don’t make it up there enough. BBW says Napa Grape embodies rolling hills and wine grapes, but I’m thinking it’s more a sassy sparkling wine. I really like the addition of grape seed oil to help condition and protect my claws. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Siesta Key Lemon

Key West, 2008

After my BFF’s wedding in Florida last fall, El Hub and I drove the couple hundred miles down through the Keys. The tiny islands of Florida’s Keys extend out into the Gulf of Mexico, connected by multiple bridges. There’s a sunny climate perfect for growing Meyer lemons like the ones in BBW’s Siesta Key Lemon. The soap contains refreshing lemon oil and has a mildly sweet (not sugary) citrus scent. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

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What would a vampire think of Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter ($35)?

Would they scoff at the price and curse the Bliss marketing team’s misleading use of the word “blood”? More importantly, do the undead even moisturize?

Perhaps they should…

Unlike fangs, it’s subtle

I can’t speak for Vampire Bill, but I like a good body butter after scrubbing down with Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub, and the two products combined make for a pleasant budget Bliss Spa experience at home.

As far as I can tell, the Bliss Blood Orange scent’s subtle mix of blood orange (surprise!), spicy white pepper, coriander and white musk doesn’t vary among the different products in the fragrance line, and the body butter smells just as divine as the scrub.

The scent is subtle (but still noticeable) — a nice break from heavily scented body lotions (aka Black Amethyst).

You notice it’s there, but it doesn’t make you smell like a walking glass of O.J., which also means it plays nicely with other fragrances.

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I look forward to spa days like kids look forward to Christmas. A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon at SF’s Bliss spa, and I’m already aching to go back.

It’s too bad spa visits cost as much as they do, right? But if they were something I could do every day, then I guess they wouldn’t feel special.

It may be a while before I make it back to Bliss… Until then, I’ll just get my fix at home with Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub ($36).

Invigorating scent and gentle exfoliation

It’s a wonder how much this stuff smells like freshly peeled oranges. It’s uncanny!

The exfoliating sugar granules create just enough friction to remove dirt and rough patches on my skin without hurting or scratching at all, and unlike salt scrub exfoliators, which can sting any abrasions or scratches I might have (ala shaving nicks or cat scratches; Tabs calls them lovies), the sugar granules in Bliss Blood Orange feel divine.

A cleanser, too

After about a minute of rubbing, the paste builds into a rich, foamy lather (like a body wash) that’s easy to rinse off and leaves behind touchably soft, clean skin.

More affordable than a day at the spa

I won’t pretend that scrubbing myself down in my tiny shower at home rises to the level of a professional exfoliating sesh at Bliss, but considering the cost differential … it runs a close second.

At $36, a 12-oz jar of Bliss Blood Orange is kinda expensive, but I’m guessing it’s big enough to last a couple months if used twice a week.

Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub

Price: $36 for a 12-oz jar
Use: An orange-scented exfoliating sugar scrub and cleanser
Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

You might like Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Sugar Scrub if…

• you like citrusy body products,
• you’re looking for a scrub/cleanser combo,
• you’re dying for a trip to a spa but don’t want to pay too much.

Drugstore alternative

Looking for a less expensive option? Consider St. Ives Moisturizing In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish ($8).

Home decor doofus

Since it looks like we may be moving next month, I’ve started to think about colors to paint the new walls.

I know I want something soothing, but it doesn’t help that I have absolutely no home decorating skills, LOL! I can look at a catalogue and figure out what I think is pretty, but I get lost translating the pictures to home decor in real life.

I’m thinking paint because I know it’s relatively easy to change…

Have you ever painted a wall at home before? How’d it go?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Packaging junkies — pretty bottle alert! I’m loving this elegant glass bottle of Sweet Fig & Argan Body Lotion ($15) from the new True Blue Morocco collection by Bath and Body Works.

Looks expensive

The heavy glass comes embossed with a dainty diamond pattern at the bottom, and the colorful but minimalist label looks nothing like typical Bath and Body Works hearts/flowers/rainbows/puppies packaging fare. It totes looks like something I’d find in Neiman’s or Barney’s instead.

I’m thinking it has hostess or housewarming gift written all over it.

Highly moisturizing

The lotion itself works great. My dry skin needs real deal moisturization, and Sweet Fig Lotion delivers the goods. Bath and Body Works added hydrating ingredients like shea butter, argan oil (an oil rich in Vitamin E) and green tea (for the antioxidants) into the mix. The resulting lotion moisturizes like a rich body butter.

A warm, fall scent

To me, Sweet Fig Lotion smells like a mix of white musk, cinnamon and clove. It’s warm and comforting, like a cashmere cable-knit sweater or a cup of hot apple cider — more like a fall scent than a typical summer fragrance.

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