Morning Routine for Dullness and Pigmentation

COSRX The Peptide Collagen Hydrogel Eye Patch — a 4-peptide complex plus low-molecular-weight collagen and niacinamide. Each peptide does a different job — signalling collagen, easing micro-tension, targeting puffiness. It's a stack, not a hero-ingredient product. Perfect for puffed morning eyes.

One patch under each eye on clean skin, before anything else. Twenty minutes while you get on with the morning, then press in what remains rather than rinsing. Step 2 goes on afterwards, over the whole face including where the patches sat.

Arencia Vitamin C Booster Shot — a stable vitamin C derivative at 5%, with niacinamide and glutathione. Niacinamide interrupts melanin transfer to the skin cell while the vitamin C works upstream on melanin production — two points in the same pathway. Perfect for uneven, tired-looking skin that wants brightness without irritation.

Two or three drops on clean skin, pressed not rubbed. Give it a minute before step 3. If vitamin C is new to you, every other morning for the first fortnight is enough.

I'm From Rice Cream — 41% rice bran water built around Ceramide NP. No niacinamide in this one, on purpose — this step's only job is sealing the barrier, because a compromised barrier is what turns inflammation into pigmentation in the first place. Perfect as the buffer that makes step 2 sustainable.

An almond-sized amount, warmed between palms and pressed on in sections. Two minutes before sunscreen — rushing this is what makes SPF pill.

SKIN1004 Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF50+ PA++++ — centella asiatica at 9,800 ppm (0.98%) in a photostable organic filter system, no white cast. PA++++ is the UVA rating, and UVA is what deepens pigmentation over time. Without this step, you are undoing steps 1–3.

Two finger-lengths for face and neck. Always last, over the cream, never mixed into it. Reapply at lunch if you are by a window.