This month in my Memebox brand ambassador package, was this Ladykin Affinitic Lifting Cream which a) is so cute my ovaries almost burst and b) almost impossible to review impartially simply because of the little plastic snail packaging I plan to turn into a little candy jar for my desk at work. I'll give it a go anyhow.
The Ladykin Affinitic Lifting Cream is marketed as an anti-wrinkle, skin elasticity-boosting, moisturizer that offers nutrients to the skin, namely the Dioscorea Japonica (Yam) Root Extract. Among the other featured ingredients are Adenosine, and apparently extract of Red Rose Wine, which actually sounds delicious, not gonna lie.
Ladykin is not a new brand to me in the sense that I've been eyeing their products for quite awhile. They have a heavy cream that was vetted by blogger Moira at 35th of May as being excellent for very dry skin, squeal-inducing lighter creams that come in snail packaging, and equally adorable watermelon, strawberry, and mango gel products that I learned of first at Beautibi.com but are now carried at Memebox.com* as well. I'd never really investigated the brand however. Looking at their official site (at Ladykin.co.kr) I find that I kind of like their brand philosophy which is centered around the beauty of women and making it fun to use cosmetics. I think the 'fun' aspect really shines through in how they present their products.
Exhibit A...
But first, just another close up of all of the packaging.
It came in a really fun and colorful box too. It was so colorful I was taken aback almost. You're almost having too much fun Ladykin! Too much fun for this gal whose favorite colors are white, black, and blue.
Just kidding, I actually did end up even adoring the box. But of course the piece de resistance was the hand-size plastic jar in the shape of a snail! The top half of the snail 'shell' or 'housing' is the top of the jar, which screws off to reveal the cream inside. Inside the jar, is a 100 ml of cream, covered by a flat plastic lid to keep the air from getting in as well. When you screw the jar closed, it doesn't click close or anything, but it does seem like it closes fully and I don't worry about air, dust, and microbes and the like from getting in and ruining the yammy goodness.
One thing that's annoying about the cream and packaging is that you have to wipe it down. If you don't, sometimes the cream will get onto the packaging and dry up into little rubbery bits that you have to wipe off. Minor, nitpicky things, but I'm kind of in a minor, nitpicky mood.
Here's a view into the cream itself.
As you can see it's a white, translucent, watery gel-type cream that looks like it could almost be a snail cream. But there's no snail mucin whatsoever in this product. The cream doesn't really smell like anything, but it is lightly fragranced, and when you glide past someone, they might be able to detect that you're wearing some kind of cosmetic product, but it's not too strong. Nor is it offensive.
In actuality, I ended up loving the product! And I find myself reaching for it daily in the mornings as my daytime moisturizer. It's very fun to use as it's quite goopy but still very light. It feels like it's water bombing my face when I put it on and doesn't take very long to absorb either. Actually to be more accurate there are two stages to this gel cream as it absorbs - it first makes your skin feel totally saturated with water, so very hydrated and moist... and then over the next minute or so, it dries down to a very silky and semi-matte finish. It's a perfect daytime moisturizer.
Disclosure: There are press samples and affiliate links in this post. All opinions are my own. Purchasing through an affiliate link is one way you can choose to support this blog at no additional cost to you. Press samples and affiliate links are marked with an asterisk. If you're curious about my policy on press samples, affiliate links, and sponsors, please see my disclaimer and policies.
The Ladykin Affinitic Lifting Cream is marketed as an anti-wrinkle, skin elasticity-boosting, moisturizer that offers nutrients to the skin, namely the Dioscorea Japonica (Yam) Root Extract. Among the other featured ingredients are Adenosine, and apparently extract of Red Rose Wine, which actually sounds delicious, not gonna lie.
Ladykin is not a new brand to me in the sense that I've been eyeing their products for quite awhile. They have a heavy cream that was vetted by blogger Moira at 35th of May as being excellent for very dry skin, squeal-inducing lighter creams that come in snail packaging, and equally adorable watermelon, strawberry, and mango gel products that I learned of first at Beautibi.com but are now carried at Memebox.com* as well. I'd never really investigated the brand however. Looking at their official site (at Ladykin.co.kr) I find that I kind of like their brand philosophy which is centered around the beauty of women and making it fun to use cosmetics. I think the 'fun' aspect really shines through in how they present their products.
Exhibit A...
Disclosure: There are press samples and affiliate links in this post. All opinions are my own. Purchasing through an affiliate link is one way you can choose to support this blog at no additional cost to you. Press samples and affiliate links are marked with an asterisk. If you're curious about my policy on press samples, affiliate links, and sponsors, please see my disclaimer and policies.
So besides the infusion of fun Ladykin gives to each and all of its products utilizing the packaging, let's see if they can deliver on their skincare claims as well.
So besides the infusion of fun Ladykin gives to each and all of its products utilizing the packaging, let's see if they can deliver on their skincare claims as well.
So just to remind you, those claims were
1. Anti-wrinkle effects
2. Skin elasticity
3. Moisture
4. Nutrients, which I do think we might be able to strike from the record as that's a pretty generic claim. By virtue of the fact that I'm taking care of my skin by rubbing a cream on it, could be counted as applying nutrients on my skin, so I'm going to give this to them right away.
But first, just another close up of all of the packaging.
It came in a really fun and colorful box too. It was so colorful I was taken aback almost. You're almost having too much fun Ladykin! Too much fun for this gal whose favorite colors are white, black, and blue.
Just kidding, I actually did end up even adoring the box. But of course the piece de resistance was the hand-size plastic jar in the shape of a snail! The top half of the snail 'shell' or 'housing' is the top of the jar, which screws off to reveal the cream inside. Inside the jar, is a 100 ml of cream, covered by a flat plastic lid to keep the air from getting in as well. When you screw the jar closed, it doesn't click close or anything, but it does seem like it closes fully and I don't worry about air, dust, and microbes and the like from getting in and ruining the yammy goodness.
One thing that's annoying about the cream and packaging is that you have to wipe it down. If you don't, sometimes the cream will get onto the packaging and dry up into little rubbery bits that you have to wipe off. Minor, nitpicky things, but I'm kind of in a minor, nitpicky mood.
Here's a view into the cream itself.
As you can see it's a white, translucent, watery gel-type cream that looks like it could almost be a snail cream. But there's no snail mucin whatsoever in this product. The cream doesn't really smell like anything, but it is lightly fragranced, and when you glide past someone, they might be able to detect that you're wearing some kind of cosmetic product, but it's not too strong. Nor is it offensive.
INGREDIENTS Water, Cyclomethicone, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Polyacrylamide, Sucrose, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Discorea Japonica Root Extract, Beta-Glucan, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Panthenol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Sclerotium Gum, Allantoin, Rose Extract, Wine Extract, Mineral Salts, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Adenosine, Fragrance [CosDNA Ingredients Analysis]
So here's where I take a peek into whether Yam is actually known to impart any benefits whatsoever to the skin.
Actually, for a moisturizer with such bold claims about taking care of wrinkles, lifting the skin, etc. etc. I don't detect many anti-aging or lifting ingredients in the all-important ingredients list. There's the yeast-derived Adenosine which gives wrinkle care and Gluconolactone, a leave on exfoliator, which would impart the same benefits as any exfoliator, but even that is present in low amounts. Wine extract is a source of antioxidants and nutrients, but I don't know if I've ever experienced lifting or wrinkle care from any wine-based products I've used before (Shaking my head at the Caudalie Vinosource line). And again, the wine extract is barely even there. Vitamin E is also present in the Tocopheryl Acetate, and is an antioxidant as well.
I think that the cream is built to be more of an excellent moisturizer as opposed to an anti-wrinkle treatment. The reason being is that the bulk of the ingredients are very lightweight emollients; there are many silicones, butylene glycol, sucrose, fatty alcohols, and star ingredient, the yam extract, which all provide lightweight moisture to the skin. Beta-glucan, an also yeast derived humectant will help to hydrate the skin as well.
So now let's finally get into whether or not yam is something to actively look for when sourcing skincare at all... According to Paula's Choice Beautypedia, a skincare ingredient encyclopedia maintained by the research team at skincare brand Paula's Choice, yam may not be all that Ladykin cracks it up to be. The entry for yam in Beautypedia is actually for wild yam, so this might not be an apples to apples comparison, but more like a Fuji apples to Granny Smith apples comparison... there is no research that shows wild yam has any effectiveness when applied on the skin.
But even if the ingredients list is a little bit disappointing in that it's not built to deliver anti-wrinkle and skin-elasticity boosting effects, it doesn't mean that I inherently disliked the product.
In actuality, I ended up loving the product! And I find myself reaching for it daily in the mornings as my daytime moisturizer. It's very fun to use as it's quite goopy but still very light. It feels like it's water bombing my face when I put it on and doesn't take very long to absorb either. Actually to be more accurate there are two stages to this gel cream as it absorbs - it first makes your skin feel totally saturated with water, so very hydrated and moist... and then over the next minute or so, it dries down to a very silky and semi-matte finish. It's a perfect daytime moisturizer.
I've developed such an affinity for this cream that I do plan to replenish it once I run out, AND I want to buy the blue version, the Affinitic Moisturizer to complete my little snail family. If it's going to be warm by you for awhile, I highly recommend checking out the Ladykin Affinitic Lifting Cream.
In conclusion...
Pros
Excellent summer cream for all skin types
Hydrates and moisturizes well
Scent is not too strong
Effects last 4+ hours
Not-sticky, dries semi-matte (eventually)
You get 100 ml of product
You get 100 ml of product
And come on... the packaging!
Cons
Fails to provide wrinkle care and elasticity
Packaging can get dirty
Repurchase?
Yes!
Available at Memebox here*.
Have you tried any Ladykin products?
Please do share!
Please do share!
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