Michelle Monaghan is a ''real minimalist'' when it comes to beauty.

The 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' star has confessed she prefers to sport super ''simple'' makeup looks and loves going barefaced when she isn't on set to show off her freckly complexion.

She said: ''In terms of beauty, I'm a real minimalist. I can only do really, really simple. It's fun to change up my look for roles, but I don't really do it for daily life. I actually prefer as little makeup as possible. And really, that's just kind of for practical purposes because I do wear so much makeup when I'm working 14 hours a day.

''I feel like I need to give my skin a break when I can. Also, in real life, I really like my freckles - I think they give women a really youthful look, which is nice.''

However, the 39-year-old actress insists she is still skilled when it comes to putting on cosmetics after picking up tips while she worked as a model in her younger years.

She explained: ''Before getting into acting, I was modelling, so I already had a pretty good sense of what worked on my face and what didn't work on my face.''

The brunette beauty also credits her mother Sharon for helping her discover what suits her best.

She told Into The Gloss: ''I got pretty into beauty even before I was acting. Credit goes to my mum. She always looked after my long, thick hair. We didn't have a lot of money, but she would get me those Redken hair treatments and put my hair in a hot towel and wash it in the sink - really take care of it.

''I remember her telling me, 'You should really brush out those curls. Brush out your bangs,' and I was like, 'It's fine!' She told me my hair kind of looked like a doughnut when I didn't take care of it, and I would be like, 'Yeah, but I like doughnuts!'''