Remember the joy of breaking out new make-up? Whether its a new compact powder, foundation, eye-shadow, or blusher, it slid on effortlessly and your skin looked really, really good that day. But with all good things, it didn’t last very long, did it?

After a few short days, you wonder – was it real? Or did you just dream of that one great make-up day? No, you’re not loony. There’s a very simple reason behind this phenomena.

The fact is – its not so much the new make-up that made you looked better, but the new, clean applicator that came with it.

All make-up adheres much better to a clean sponge than one that’s caked-up. The caking-up occurs on the surface of the sponge when you combine water (sweat) and oil (sebum) with make-up. Once its caked up, the surface of the applicator becomes very non-porous, and it can’t grab onto the make-up as well as it used to.

Here’s the best (and most frugal way) to clean your make-up sponges.

What you’ll need: Some dishwashing liquid. Running water. (Forget the fancy, overpriced make-up cleansers.)

How to do it: Take a few drops of dishwashing liquid (this works best to strip the oils). Use your fingers to work the suds in and wash till the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly before use. To speed things up, use a hair dryer.

Why do it : You’ll look better. More make-up will adhere to your sponges or brushes if they’re clean and porous. With powder and foundation, this actually gives you a much smoother finish, better coverage, and even coloring. With blusher and eye-shadows, colors will look brighter even when applied lightly.

And with clean sponges and brushes, your make-up will not only look better and be easier to apply, but you’ll also get fewer zits and break-outs since bacteria won’t fester in them.