Marisa Tomei's Best Makeup-Free Looks Had Fans Looking Twice

When Brooklyn native Marisa Tomei delivered Mona Lisa Vito's compelling expert testimony on tire treads in the 1992 comedy "My Cousin Vinny," she sported flashy makeup befitting Vito's feisty flamboyance. Teaching everyone in the courtroom a valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover, she dropped some in-depth automotive knowledge while wearing dark eyeliner and a face full of mattifying pale powder. Vito was also known to rock a vibrant red lip shade worthy of a Corvette (which could nevah be confused with the Buick Skylark). But Tomei's preferred beauty look is a lot more toned down, and she likes to skip makeup altogether from time to time.

While chatting with Vogue in 2014, Tomei shared her opinion of the makeup she wore for her Oscar-winning role. "That was before I knew anything and a lot of makeup got slapped on my face. That's probably why people think I look so young now — because I looked so old then!" she quipped. She added that she subscribes to the "less is more" philosophy. She told New Beauty that her attitude toward makeup extends to her daily prep for the characters she portrays. "I don't like being in that chair for more than an hour, soup to nuts. I like to just get into work mode and get going," she explained in the 2024 interview.

One potential benefit of limiting her time in the hair and makeup trailer is a shorter day on set, and her face might also thank her for keeping the products applied on it to a minimum. "I have very sensitive skin," Tomei revealed, adding that she keeps her skincare "simple" because of this. Her makeup-free photos provide all the evidence we need to reach the verdict that what she's doing is working for her.

Just marvel at the flawless complexions of Marvel's Aunt May and DC's Catwoman. In 2017, Marisa Tomei and her goddaughter Zoë Kravitz snuggled up for a selfie that captured their close bond. Both women appeared to have on little or no makeup, and their skin looked luminous under the lights of the parking lot that served as the setting of their quick pic.

Kravitz's mom, Lisa Bonet, and Tomei became friends when they appeared together on the sitcom "A Different World," which ran from the late '80s to the early '90s. Interestingly, Tomei's relationship history is rumored to include Bonet's ex, Lenny Kravitz, who happens to be Zoë Kravitz's dad. Apparently, that romance didn't cause any awkwardness among Tomei, Bonet, and Zoë Kravitz, as the trio has remained close. In 2018, Tomei interviewed Kravitz for InStyle, and the younger actor shared the oft-repeated lesson about attractiveness she had to learn for herself. "Beauty is so much what's on the inside, as Hallmark-y as that may sound," she said. Tomei replied, "You grew up knowing that — or being taught that. And I know because I'm best friends with your mom, and that's something she also taught me." This is evident in Tomei's selfie with Kravitz, as they're both radiating joy — a beautiful thing to see.

In 2021, Tomei and Bonet had their own chat for Interview magazine, and "The Wrestler" star credited her friend for introducing her to something else that has helped her do that all-important inner work: meditation. "You brought that into my life ... It's been such a deep pleasure to meditate for longer and longer stretches, and feel my body unwind," she said. "A real layer of noise seems to have peeled off."

Marisa Tomei wasn't your friendly neighborhood little old lady when she played Peter Parker's guardian, Aunt May, in the 2017 movie "Spider-Man: Homecoming." When she first saw the comic book version of the character, who has historically been portrayed as an elderly woman with silver hair, Tomei confessed to The New York Times, "I was horrified." However, once the initial shock wore off, she considered aging herself up for the part. She later shared an Instagram carousel featuring photos of the wigs she tried on while developing the character, and one of them was a retro low bouffant with a gray streak. Tomei rocked it without any glam, and while it aged her a little, she still pulled it off beautifully.

Tomei's take on the character ended up having straight, long hair and inspiring the hashtag #SexyAuntMay. However, her overall look wasn't glam goddess; instead, it had a throwback quality. "We realized the face should go with that [theme] — '70s and shiny, with blush and a sculpted eye, eyeliner, really good lashes," makeup artist James Kaliardos told Allure. Tomei added that she wanted her character's makeup to convey that she has a career. "It has to not take too long. ... Her priorities are her values and her work," she said.

While makeup is a crucial part of bringing a character to life, Tomei has learned that the true secret to looking good onscreen lies elsewhere. "On the set, you just hope that the lighting [is good]," she told InStyle. "It's always good to snuggle up to the cinematographer and talk to the gaffer." Guzzling down water is another Tomei beauty tip (and it's probably a good idea to stay hydrated under those blazing lights).

In a 2019 Instagram post, Marisa Tomei documented a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she helped make her own batch of the agave spirit mezcal with a mezcalero. She included a photo of a faucet positioned above a clay pot still and a shot of her seated beside the distiller. In the latter, the actor had her hair styled in pigtails and was proving, yet again, that she didn't need an assist from a glam squad to look gorgeous, a word a few of her followers used to describe her. "You found the Fountain of Youth, didn't you?" one Instagram comment read.

Tomei later described the mezcal she left Oaxaca with as "sacred" in an interview with Grub Street, adding, "It was infused with marijuana. It's real." But while it might sound like a rather relaxing tipple, there's a different drink that might be at least partly responsible for convincing some fans that she found that mythical miracle fountain. In 2021, Tomei told Vogue that she starts her day with a smoothie packed with ingredients that do the body good. Apple juice, strawberries, and blueberries provide a burst of sweetness along with a big antioxidant boost, while kale improves the skin with its anti-inflammatory properties. It's also great for gut health, as is the smoothie's ginger, which can improve digestion. Tomei's health drink also contains one of the skin snacks you should be eating every day: avocado, which is great for combating dry skin. Research has even shown that it can improve skin elasticity.

Tomei also has a holistic remedy for when she drinks too much of that mezcal. She told Vogue that her favorite hangover cures are tablets containing chlorella, a type of algae.

Marisa Tomei made a compelling visual argument against the Republican makeup trend in 2020 while urging her progressive Instagram followers to register to vote in the U.S. elections that year. She filmed herself doing what she described as a boat pose (but it was really a bow pose), and her bare skin had a sun-kissed radiance and a slight sheen, possibly from sweat. "You are just as stunning now as you were 20 years ago!!" read one response to her post. "How you get so beautiful again?" another person asked. In response to that question, Tomei has said that genetics deserve a lot of credit, telling Refinery 29, "I always think of my grandmother — I feel lucky to have gotten her genes for good skin. Also, she always had a light in her eyes and smiled so much. ... I try to remember that, to bring her smile through." Indeed, Tomei managed to keep smiling in her Instagram video, even though trying to speak and continue her workout was leaving her a bit out of breath.

Tomei listed yoga among some of her favorite workouts in a 2017 Vogue interview, along with hiking and calisthenics. "Moving meditation, like dance meditation, makes me feel at home in my skin; it helps me on a spiritual, mental, and, ultimately, physical level," she added. She's also fond of fun workouts such as hula-hooping and jumping on a mini-trampoline, turning to the former to prep for her role as an exotic dancer in "The Wrestler." She told Elle Canada, "Hooping will make you smile every time. ... It's joyful and very feminine." She's not fond of using weights and even filmed a workout DVD with lower-impact exercises, "Marisa Tomei: Core & Curves."

Marisa Tomei is a firm believer in the importance of getting plenty of rest. When Vogue asked her about her skincare routine in 2014, she revealed that she's not one of those types that obsesses over it, saying instead, "I am a dedicated sleeper. I get a solid eight hours and will take more if you give it to me." When she was starring in the Broadway play "The Rose Tattoo" in 2019, she even told the San Francisco Chronicle that she was taking "a really deep, long nap between shows" to remain well-rested. And with all that sleep comes some pretty sweet dreams, like the one the "In the Bedroom" star had on her 56th birthday in 2020.

Further proving that some gals have all the luck, Tomei showed fans what she looks like after getting that aforementioned beauty sleep, writing on Instagram, "Just woke up and had a dream about Dolly Parton, which feels like a really good sign. I woke up smiling basking in her joyous vibes." The actor demonstrated this in her video while rocking a pair of aviator-style glasses, which were very grandmacore. Tomei pulled off the eyewear effortlessly, but apparently, she'd prefer not to need the accessory. "I'm probably going to get LASIK for my eyes," she told Elle in 2024.

Going back to her incredible dreamland for a sec, one way Tomei gets there quicker is by having a simple evening skincare routine. She told Vogue, "I just wash my face with Cetaphil and moisturize with Persephenie Rose Paka cream."

In a 2021 video for Vogue, Marisa Tomei walked the magazine through her makeup routine. She started with a blank palette that didn't look like it needed much embellishing. However, she insisted that there was one part of her face that required some extra work due to a beauty blunder a lot of women made back in the day. When it was time for her to fill in her brows, she said, "I've been trying to grow them in for some time, since they were super over-plucked in the '90s. They were thin to begin with."

Tomei also revealed that one of her favorite beauty products isn't makeup but a tool. "I would say the number one thing that I just can't leave the house without is my Shiseido Eyelash Curler," she said. After using it, her dark lashes looked long and lush without mascara. She dabbed a small amount of concealer on her undereye area, and in her New Beauty interview, she said that she keeps the skin there looking refreshed by using depuffing undereye patches.

Tomei shared that she uses little foundation, and she spoke a bit more about skincare ingredients to avoid due to having sensitive skin. "I can't have things with chemicals. I get very red and just break out," she said. "My skin doesn't like it." She also avoids a lot of the beauty treatments offered by spas, likely because many masks and peels are chemical in nature. "I love a facial massage," she told New Beauty. "I also like it when there's lymphatic drainage and when really your jaw gets massaged out, and the facial muscles fall into place more."

In 2023, Marisa Tomei jetted off to Greece and shared a vacation pic on Instagram worthy of a fashion magazine. While her white T-shirt and colorful shorts featuring a sea-life pattern probably weren't what a Vogue photographer would have picked out for her, there was little a hair and makeup team could have done to improve her fresh face and beachy waves. "I like the natural look, don't you? No dyes in our food, no dyes in our hair," read one response to her post.

Tomei has talked a lot about her preference for natural beauty products and foods. She told The Cut that she has a very Mediterranean secret for keeping her hair healthy: olive oil. "Once a month I put it on," she said. As for her skin, she prefers a different healthy fat, telling Refinery 29 she uses coconut oil "all over."

Tomei probably enjoyed the culinary scene in Greece, considering that she told Elle Canada she grew up eating Mediterranean foods. "I get food from farmer's markets as much as possible. ... I like it to feel that food gives me more energy, so I try to eat things that have a lot of prana, or life force, in it," she said. Tomei told Vogue there's another reason she's so thoughtful about what she consumes. "What I eat and how I connect with my body feed my external," she explained. This is one of the selling points she has used for her skincare supplement Terra Mare Derma Renew. On Facebook, she claimed that it offers a whole host of skin benefits, thanks to ingredients inspired by foods she enjoys, such as polyphenol-packed olive oil and collagen-rich ossobuco.

In 2025, Marisa Tomei rocked a black one-piece swimsuit and a fresh face for a sponcon video promoting a Sunlighten infrared sauna, which is touted on the company's website as having anti-aging and detoxifying benefits. Tomei is a believer in the product's effectiveness, telling Vogue, "Infrared saunas are really good for your skin." Her video might have convinced some fans that they deliver results, with one Instagrammer quipping, "Is this how you stay so hot?" Another joked that there was a "Hot Tub Time Machine" situation going on that was turning back the clock each time "The King of Staten Island" actor stepped foot inside her sauna. It wasn't the only remark related to her age; fans flooded the post with comments marveling over her youthful appearance.

Tomei did some light stretching during her 30-minute stint inside her heated chamber, and she made sure to hydrate afterward, popping one of her supplements before washing it down with water from a pitcher. And speaking of H2O, she told Refinery 29 that she has a beauty trick for getting the most out of hers. "I also have a filter system on my kitchen sink tap for super-clean water, and I have them in my showers too, so that I protect my skin and my hair," she said. "I bring one with me and install it whenever I'm on location to preserve my hair color."

Tomei's Instagram video had her followers going all George Costanza; almost three decades after playing his dream woman on "Seinfeld," it seemed she still held that status in the hearts of many. It had one person declaring her the "hottest 60-year-old on planet Earth" and another gushing, "Timeless beauty! She's gonna be beautiful forever!"