Watkins Review & Giveaway - Part Two!

Even though natural products seem to just recently be hitting the media by storm, a company called Watkins has been creating natural products for over 140 years! Watkins believes in using natural botanicals to help people feel their best and live healthier lives. Watkins using the same strict guidelines for their products as did the founder, J. R. Watkins. All of Watkins products are 100% natural and environmentally friendly. All of the ingredients used in their products come from renewable resources. By doing this, Watkins is able to avoid all harmful chemicals, such as parabens, sulfates, phthalates, etc.

Watkins’ mission is, “to be the most trusted natural products company.” To find out more about Watkins’ six core values and their brand promise, please visit their Mission Statement page.

Are you looking for a way to make a bit of extra income every month? Watkins offers people just like you, the opportunity to become independent associates for Watkins. Not only will you be able to earn extra money but also you will be able to share natural products with those around you! It is a win-win situation! Please feel free to read here for additional details on the program.

In addition, Watkins now offers a similar option to non-profit organizations. This option allows non-profit organizations to pair up with Watkins for fundraising opportunities. If you are a non-profit organization and you are interested in signing up for a Watkins fundraising opportunity, please visit here.

For more information on either of these opportunities, feel free to contact Martha via email. Martha would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Review
You may remember a review I did about a month ago for two other Watkins' products: Watkins Aloe & Green Tea All Purpose Wipes and the Cucumber & Dill Snack & Dip Seasoning. If you missed it, please feel free to go here and read my review of these two great products. Thanks to Martha (once again), I will be reviewing two other Watkins' products. I think after all these reviews, I will be hooked on Watkins! The Watkins' products I had a chance to review this time were the J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary Calming Bath Soak and Watkins' Analgesic Balm.

First of all, giving myself permission to relax for this review was definitely nice; I usually have showers and don't often treat myself to baths. The goal of Watkins' Calming Bath Soak is for you to "indulge your skin while relaxing your senses in a warm bath." The main aspect of this bath soak that I love is that it is 100% natural. I haven't seen many stores that offer a similar product. Second of all, I love that this bath soak uses natural seas salts and Vitamin E to soften and moisturize your skin while providing you with the relaxing qualities of lavender aromatherapy oil. The addition of lavender makes this bath soak even more relaxing than most; it is a perfect way to put your feet up at the end of a long day. Thirdly, I think the value for the money is quite comparable to other bath soaks of the same quality. From the picture shown online, I expected to receive a small container of this bath soak. But when I received it, I noticed that it was bigger than I expected. After the first use, I realized how little of the bath soak needs to be used for one bath. The container suggests 2 tablespoons but I used only two capfuls and it still worked great! Because of this, I can imagine the 400g container of Bath Soak will last me a very long time. Watkins is certain that their Calming Bath Soak will turn your tub into a "calming mineral spa."

Next, I had the chance to try out Watkins' Analgesic Balm. Before coming across Watkins, I had never seen a natural variation of this type of product. I am happy to know that such a product exists. After reading through all the information on this product, I was surprised to hear that this product has been around since 1959! When a product holds to the test of time like this one has, you know it has to be good! Watkins Analgesic Balm helps eliminate the pain from muscle tension, soreness, fatigue and is also proven to temporarily relieve minor arthritis pain and pain from strains. This balm is great because it isn't greasy and it won't stain your clothes or other fabrics (such as your bedding). Since I am on the computer quite a bit, my shoulders often get really sore. One night I couldn't take it anymore and I needed some relief. Luckily, I had the analgesic balm right beside my computer... just waiting to be used. Within only a few minutes of applying the analgesic balm to my shoulders, I felt a wonderfully soothing warm sensation that helped my muscles to relax and the pain to subside. I was impressed with how easy this balm was to apply. It wasn't messy and it lasted longer than I thought it would. Finally, one thing that really impresses me about this Analgesic Balm is the cost. Usually natural products are more expensive than non-natural products. However, in this case, Watkins' Analgesic Balm actually "costs less per ounce than the leading national brand!" Next time I have aches and pains, I will definitely choose Watkins before any other brand.

A few months ago, I had never tried Watkins' products, although I had heard great things about them. Thanks to Martha, I have had a chance to try four different Watkins' products and I have been more than pleased with all of them. I am very impressed with the number and variety of products that Watkins' sells. The next item on my list of Watkins' items to try will be Watkins' Vanilla. From everyone's comments in the last giveaway, I can tell that it must be amazing!

What can you win? One lucky ‘Everything Up Close’ reader will win a $25 gift certificate for Martha Weinhardt’s Watkins Store.

To enter, please visit Martha’s Watkins store and look around. Find something you would like to purchase if you won, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me which item you chose.

If you are Canadian, please view the Canada Catalog here.
If you are American, please view the US Catalog here.

This question must be answered to gain an entry in the giveaway.

Each of the following will give you one extra entry in the giveaway. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:
-Subscribing to my blog via email.
-Adding my button to your blog sidebar.
-Adding my new Everything ‘In the Kitchen’ Up Close button to your blog sidebar.
-Adding my Everything 'In the Kitchen' Up Close Grand Opening Event Button to your blog sidebar.
-Visiting my brand new food blog, Everything 'In the Kitchen' Up Close, and entering one of my giveaways. Giveaways will be added daily for the next two weeks. You can only do this extra entry once per giveaway!
-Following me on Twitter (ihchicky). Please leave your Twitter name.
-Tweeting about this giveaway (with a link to this page) on Twitter. Please leave a link to your tweet. You can do this once a day.
-Blogging about this giveaway on your blog with a link to Martha Weinhardt’s Watkins' page. Please leave a link to your blog post in your comment.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, March 21st at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked randomly using random.org. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US!

Good Luck!