I'm new here, but makeup is something that I have strong mixed feelings about. In 9th grade I wore heavy makeup everyday to cover up my acne (and because of insecurities in general.) I was terrified to leave the house without makeup, I felt naked and ugly without it. After 9th grade I became homebound because of a chronic illness, and I stopped wearing makeup and wore nothing but PJ's. I felt terrible, and no one saw me except my immediate family and the occasional doctor, so it was no big deal... and eventually I got over my insecurities.
Now I'm 20, and although I'm still sick, I'm not homebound anymore. I discovered that people treat me differently when I don't wear makeup. Without it people guess my age around 14, adults tend to ignore me (especially men, its like I'm invisible), and teens... well its awkward. They don't realize I'm older than they are, and worse they tend to have an attitude and think I'm slob for not wearing makeup like they do.
I recently changed my appearance, got a new haircut, and started trying to wear makeup again. It immediately made a difference. People seem more willing to talk with me, make eye contact, smile/have friendlier body language. I wish it wasn't true, but it is. Makeup really isn't a big deal to me personally, and I would prefer to go without it. I choose to wear it for "social survival" if that makes any sense.