MARKS OF DISTINCTION (2024)

The beauty spot was a cosmetic at least as far back as the 1600s.

It is described by the New Oxford English Dictionary as ''a spot or patch placed upon the face in a method of adornment to heighten by contrast a charm of some neighboring feature.''

So now we know why the spot-also called beauty mark-is seen in a variety of places, including the cheekbone under the eye, the top of the lip, the bottom corner of the lip and the hollow of the cheek.

Mouche is the French term, which means fly or speck.

Whether the beauty spot is a natural endowment or a speck applied artificially, it is beginning to be noticed in the `90s.

Consider model Cindy Crawford, designer Paloma Picasso and singers Madonna and Paula Abdul.

Crawford is the most significant among the modern-day beauties in part because since last autumn she has been the spokesperson for Revlon Inc., appearing in beauty ads for fragrance, haircare, suntan products and cosmetics.

She has been featured in Richard Avedon`s ''most unforgettable'' ads since the campaign began. She also models for such designers as Ralph Lauren and Ronaldus Shamask and is in all of the current national ads for Ellen Tracy.

Fashion photographer Victor Skrebneski calls her ''the million-dollar face'' and, sure enough, on that face, at the top of her lip, left side, is the natural beauty mark. In her early modeling days in Chicago, some suggested that she cover the mark-it`s really a mole-but she never did. Now it is her signature.

The mark surely is at the proper spot. Crawford is known for her sensual mouth.

Trade secrets

Not since Jean Patchett, a model in the `40s and `50s, has a model been known for her mouche.

Patchett was the Ford Agency`s first superstar when she started modeling 42 years ago, and the first to make use of any kind of distinctive facial feature.

''She was one model who made a mountain out of a mole,'' said Eileen Ford, whose husband, Jerry, said Patchett was to the agency ''what Babe Ruth was to the Yankees.''

Paloma Picasso made mole news more recently when, in a newspaper article about how much time busy women spend on their makeup, she confessed that if she forgets to darken her beauty spot at home (it is just under her left eye), ''I`ll take a black pen from my desk and do it at work.''

No harm there, according to dermatologist Nancy Nieland of Pittsburgh. Applying color from an eyebrow pencil or pen will not cause the mole to become infected or cancerous, although it`s a good idea to use the applicating tool gently.

Some beauties haven`t been satisfied with simple circles.

Joan Crawford sported a dramatic beauty mark as Sadie Thompson in the 1932 production of ''Rain.'' The star-shaped mark was placed just to the left of her jawline.

Actresses Arlene Dahl and Tina Louise also have prominent beauty marks, as did the late Gloria Swanson. Elizabeth Taylor`s natural mark is on the lower right cheek, but in some films, a mysterious speck also appears on her chin.

Beauty for sale

When is it real and when is it fake? Hard to say. At least 50 years ago, you could buy tiny molelike decals and place them anywhere you wanted.

The late Jean Harlow, famous in the `30s, most often wore the beauty spot on the lower left chin. But either she, or her makeup artist, was fickle-sometimes a mark could be spotted just below her right eye, high on the cheekbone.

Marilyn Monroe`s beauty mark was the most consistent. It shows up in most of her early photographs on her left cheek. When World Doll Co. created a doll in her image in 1983, the beauty mark was included on the porcelain face.

In Monroe`s last film, ''The Misfits,'' the beauty mark disappeared.

Paula Abdul`s mark is in the hollow of her left cheek. Madonna has a small natural beauty spot on the right side above her upper lip. It has also become somewhat of a signature.

Beauty marks aren`t just a female fetish. Men have played them up, too, particularly in French society when men were peaco*cks, choosing lace hankies and brocaded vests, velvet breeches, finger rings and powdered wigs.

Cary Grant had a natural mole on his cheek. George Hamilton is another actor whose mark, on his right cheek, gives him distinction.

In the world of beauty, opinions are mixed.

''I don`t have a beauty mark and wouldn`t dream of putting one on,'' says Evelyn Lauder, executive corporate vice president of Estee Lauder Inc. ''But I admire those who make the most of what they have.''

Georgette Mosbacher, who heads La Prairie skin treatment and cosmetic line and is the wife of Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher, said, ''The beauty mark is a special symbol . . . nature`s gift.''

A beauty mark can be flat or raised. And it is not to be confused with a wart, even a small one. Glamor has eluded the wart. It belongs to witches and goblins. -