For most women, makeup brushes are a vital aspect of our daily routines. Day in and day out, we use those bristles to apply our faces in order to deem ourselves presentable to the public.

But while we’re applying makeup, are we unknowingly applying bacteria to our skin? The point of makeup brushes is to help us easily apply our makeup so that we can feel that much more confident; but, if our brushes are not properly taken care of, we can just be ruining our skin, and making us less secure in our appearance than we were when we started.

Most of us have heard these warnings, but naively we go on using the same old brushes for months on end because we’re sure that somehow they don’t apply to us. Don’t make this mistake.

Here are 7 things you need to know about those “trusty” makeup brushes:

1. Your pores can easily get clogged up.

The point of makeup brushes is to refrain from using your fingers and oils on your hand to apply the product, but if your makeup brushes are holding just as much bacteria as your fingers there’s no point! When you’re brushes aren’t clean, “you spread dirt and bacteria from your face, to your makeup, then back to your face,” says pro makeup artist, Laramie. If you’re taking care of your skin but still breaking out, your brushes are likely to blame.

2. Dirty brushes can accelerate wrinkles.

Regardless of the countless lotions and serums you’re using to avoid wrinkles, dirty makeup brushes can expose the skin to oxidative stress from free radicals, which causes a breakdown of collagen and elastin and can result in premature aging— essentially reversing all of the good you’ve tried to do for your skin. Thanks, but no thanks.

3. Old brushes can irritate your skin.

Unknown substances can cause your skin to have a stress response in the body. In turn, this response will cause redness and inflammation. Because of the bacteria build up, your brush bristles will stiffen and, therefore, irritate your skin— causing breakouts.

4. Dirty brushes can transmit infections.

Sounds scary, I know. But, it’s true! Dead skin cells, dirt, bacteria, and oil can all be accumulated in makeup brushes, which can include staphylococcus, streptococcus, and E. Coli, fungus, and viruses. I know, I know, you’ll never think this will happen to you— but it’s not that hard to believe.

In fact, one makeup artist named Katie Wright went viral back in 2017 when she shared her story of ending up in the hospital with a staph infection that developed into cellulitis. What was to blame? You guessed it— her makeup brushes.

5. Your makeup looks worse when you use dirty tools.

The entire point of makeup brushes is so the product applies smoother and nicer than it would if you used your fingers. So, if your brushes are grimy and covered in 6 months worth of makeup, how is it going to look? Splotchy and uneven.

6. Two words: Pink eye.

Anyone’s worst nightmare — pink eye. Filthy brushes can easily spread pink eye due to sharing makeup brushes and the buildup in your tools. Need I say more?

7. They’ll never be good as new.

Many women wash their makeup brushes with a spray-on cleanser or with dish soap, which helps get rid of some of the bacteria and build up— but if you’ve done this, you can attest to the fact that your brushes are never quite the same. Not to mention, it’s nearly impossible to ensure you’re ridding your brushes of all the bacteria and grime hidden inside. Not to mention, the moisture caught in the ferrule ends up molding and you’d never know it!

Enter: Beautiac. AKA, the best thing to happen to make up since the introduction of contouring.

Beautiac was created by a woman who was equally as fed up with washing her brushes and watching her money go down the drain. She took matters into her own hands and solved the problem herself by creating a makeup brush subscription service that allows women everywhere to have only the best for their faces— and to never have to wash a makeup brush again.

For less than the price (and inconvenience) you’d pay to remember to replace your brushes, buy cleaning solutions and accessories, Beautiac will first send you a starter kit with three universal brush handles and three brush heads: One for foundation, one for powder and one for blush— and a dye-free blender sponge.  Then, they’ll send you replacement brush heads and a new sponge every month.

From there,  you simply pop off the old heads, toss them into the recycle bag provided by Beautiac, and snap on your fresh new brush heads every single month. And voila! To help sweeten the pot, Beautiac is giving 500 lucky people their first kit free.