Makeup brushes and pillowcases? Both inanimate objects, but there is a similarity there (I promise).

If you only knew me pre-Mario… I go on and on about the irony of me working here given my past history of skincare mishaps and sins; I'm guessing I would have continued in a downward spiral to the deepest, darkest parts of the skincare equivalent of Dante’s Inferno had I not been saved by Mario Badescu. It’s as dramatic as it sounds when you realize the difference good skincare makes. You wouldn't believe how many seemingly innocuous things are actually major acne causes. It’s been enlightening every step of the way, ladies and gents.

But I digress.

Makeup brushes. Pillowcases. Right. Let’s get back on track, shall we?

Here’s the story of a girl (hi!) who wouldn’t wear the same outfit within a month’s time, much less in two weeks. Little did she know college would soon change said philosophy. There she was, naïve and oblivious, dolling up every morning.

(Here’s the thing: negligence is a crime - well, tort - in the court of law. Naivety is not a defense.)

A swipe of bronzer. A pinch of blush. Smudge that liner, blend some ubiquitous neutral brown haphazardly across the lids. One last sweep of bronzer across the cheekbones.

And another dusting. For good luck, posterity and all that jazz. (What I miss out on in sunbathing/SPF-ing like a madwoman, I make up in bronzer.)

Every day this process would be repeated, and every day I’d be completely unaware of what it was I was actually doing. It wasn’t just color and shimmer I deposited to my face. From pretty pans to skin was essentially a back-and-forth volley of introducing and reintroducing bacteria, oil and other not-so-friendly things to my makeup and my skin.

Talk about a dirty party. Do you hear the sirens wailing in the distance?

My makeup brushes were the culprit. They were the sole carriers, transporting and orchestrating the transfer of unwanted gunk. And it wasn’t until last year in the midst of a weekly sweep up of my dorm room when I had an epiphany. If that much dusted accumulated within a week’s time, then all that dust in addition to whatever bacteria/oils/etc. was festering on my brushes.

In the same way you’d consider washing laundry an integral part of personal hygiene, the principle applies to cleaning your makeup brushes.

I immediately high-tailed it to the communal bathroom for a deep cleaning session, and within a week, my skin was noticeably clearer: fewer spots and considerably less congestion along the cheeks and T-Zone where I would fondly bronze up.

It’s the smallest things in life that make the biggest difference.

Pillowcases fall under the same rule (I told you I’d relate the two seemingly dissimilar objects eventually). If you’re noticing congestion or are experiencing consistent breakouts, wash your pillowcases frequently.

Once you eliminate these acne causes, it’ll make a difference.

Confessions aired, sins cleared. The weight of the world has been (temporarily) lifted from my shoulders.