I think there are lots of assumptions about people who wear makeup – that they're insecure, self-conscious, and vain. But that hasn't been my experience with makeup. If anything, makeup gives me confidence.

I've worn makeup pretty much every day of my life since I was 12 years old. And I come from a household where putting on makeup is just part of the daily routine. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen my mom leave the house without hers on.

Which is why I wanted to see what it would be like to go for a week without wearing makeup. After 17 years of wearing makeup every day, I wanted to know if my confidence would endure without it.

What I found was that while I was supremely uncomfortable for the first half of the week, I learned a lot more about myself than I ever expected. Here are the lessons I came out of the week with: