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Hello! I have something a little bit different to share today which I'm really excited about. It's been a long time coming thanks to the craziness that was the last couple of months but we got there eventually! I was lucky enough to be sent XO Balm which is a moisturising balm that treats dry, rough, sensitive or irritated skin with an effective combination of 100% natural ingredients. As I've been so busy my hands have been seriously neglected so I knew this was something I really needed. The question is...did it actually help??
Before we get into my thoughts and opinions, let's talk a little bit more about what XO Balm is. As I've already said it's made of all natural ingredients but what I'm really impressed with is the fact that the balm is only made out of four ingredients. Yep, you read that right, only four. These four magical things are coconut oil, beeswax, olive oil and chia seed oil and you can find out more information on the specific benefits each ingredient has here.
When it arrived I was really pleased to see how sleek and stylish the packaging was. The balm comes in a lovely travel size tin with an easy twist/pull off lid. I was super surprised when I opened the tin to discover it also came with a little spatula and a mirror in the lid! It's perfect for on-the-go and carrying in your handbag and I'm sure the spatula will be especially useful for those with long nails that forever struggle getting products out of tubs etc.
In order to really see how the balm helped me, I decided to take some 'before' photos. Now be warned, they're not pretty! These are my nails after showering and pottering around the house with no moisturiser, oil or anything put on and no editing. As I said, I have neglected my hands recently so they are especially bad, oops! But all the better for testing a moisturiser right? You're also going to see my right hand for the first time ever and you'll probably understand why it's never in any photos (besides the fact I'm right handed haha).
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| Before - Left Hand |
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| Before - Left Hand |
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| Before - Right Hand |
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| Before - Right Hand |
So as you can see, I've got a lot of dry skin on my fingers and around my nails. Even when I do use moisturiser regularly, my right hand is never that great so it will be interesting to see the results after using XO Balm for a couple of weeks. I'm writing this bit of the post at the beginning of the two weeks so my plan is to use the balm at least three times a day. If I can, I'll apply it after each time I wash my hands (this may or may not be possible at work) but we'll see what we can do!
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Here we are, back again a couple of weeks later. Let's take a look at the results shall we?
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| After - Left Hand |
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| After - Left Hand |
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| After - Right Hand |
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| After - Right Hand |
As well as the obvious nail growth, my skin and cuticles have definitely improved. I have less dry patches, my cuticles are nicer and everything just generally looks more 'aesthetically pleasing'. My hands are by no means perfect, I do too much and forget to moisturise too often but they're definitely better than they were a couple of weeks ago! In the end I just ended up applying the balm whenever I remembered. I struggled at work as I don't have a desk I can keep the balm on and apply as and when, so I only got to use it once while on shift. I tried not to use any other moisturising products during the couple of weeks but I did use a tiny bit of cuticle oil whilst I was doing swatches and nail art for brands. However this really was only a small amount so I do believe it really was XO Balm doing all the work!
In terms of using the balm, you actually only need to use a tiny amount for each nail so if you only used it for your nails/cuticles, the 45g tin will definitely last you a while! After first applying it and rubbing it in it does feel slightly tacky but this does disappear after 5 minutes and then you just feel soft and smooth. As the balm is made out of natural ingredients the scent is quite 'earthy', I don't really know how to describe it. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. That's the only non-positive thing I have to say about it really! I think the results speak for themselves and I'm so glad my hands are in a much better state.
Thank you so much to XO Balm for sending this to me. If you want to get the balm yourself then you can buy it here for £12.50 and you can also use the code 'discover15' for 15% off!
Abigail xo
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