The Best New Ways To Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Breakouts. Poor makeup application. Ruined brushes. These are all things we’d rather dodge, right? Turns out, skimping on cleansing your makeup brushes and sponges can cause all of the above, as bacteria builds up on bristles — not cool for your skin or tools.

Of course, you can’t blame a girl for not being super enthusiastic about the process and putting it off for as long as possible. The whole thing is so hard to figure out, and, well, straight-up gross. There’s constant debate about what you should use to clean brushes: Is dish soap really okay? And, it feels like it takes an eternity to get all that gunk off your tools…and hands. Nasty. Oh, and waking up to still-damp brushes? The worst. Kiss any chance of decent-looking makeup goodbye.

Thankfully, the makeup gods have answered our prayers, and tons of handy new inventions are now on the market to make the process easier, quicker, and a little less disgusting. They’re so cool, in fact, that you’ll be looking forward to treating your tools properly. Click through to see the best of these holy-grail developments. Here’s to clear skin and longer-lasting brushes.