Make your point

Beauty, power… and moles? It's a trifecta that many femmes fatales share. Like an exclamation mark, a mole instantly spices up one's look. Be it close to the eyes, under the lip or on the décolletage, it's a kind of warning sign, saying, "Hey, look here, you won't regret it!" How could we forget the glamorous beauty marks of Clara Bow, Jean Harlow, Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe? Their moles truly made their faces iconic.

But did you know these tiny dots might also have foretold their destiny? According to the Chinese ancestral art of face reading (mian xiang), moles are the signature of the planets at birth and contain one's future. For instance, black and red ones are seen as good omens, whereas brown and dull ones are ominous signs. Placed on the eyebrow, a mole might be a highly auspicious sign of wealth and longevity, while a hidden one vouches for the existence of a secret treasure. Experts in moleomancy even claim that Monroe's glamorous spot foreshadowed her accident－which, of course, is easy to say in hindsight.

The 18th-century French courtesans also paid a lot of attention to the location of their moles. Known as mouches (the French word for "flies"), these fake beauty marks were wildly popular back then. Made of silk, velvet, taffeta or leather, they came in many shapes－round, heart, spade, star or crescent moon. Like fans and flowers, they also had their own seductive language. Depending on the location, these patches had a specific name and significance－above the lip it was "the coquette", on the side of the chin "the discreet", on the forehead "the majestic" and close to the eyes "the assassin".

In England, moles even revealed a woman's political allegiance: the Tories set it on the left, the Whigs on the right. Apart from this, moles were primarily used for beauty. They often had a dual ambition of showing off a nice feature, and of concealing pimples and smallpox scars.

Whether you darken a birthmark or fake a beauty spot, you must carefully choose the color. Black is ideal for a sophisticated mole, but for a natural finish, choose a color closer to your skin tone, such as soft brown or burnt sienna. Warm pink, emerald green or indigo are great to make whimsical dots, too. For an optimal stay, use a matte and smudge-resistant eyeliner or eye pencil. Then, pick a spot that highlights your best facial feature and start drawing the mole. Begin from the center and make it bigger with small touches and circular motions. To give an 18th-century twist to your look, you can also make your own mouche. Cut a dark fabric in your favorite shape and paste it on with eyelash glue－if you're not particularly crafty, bindis and beauty mark stickers also do the job. If you're ready for a lifetime commitment, you can also take the tattoo route like Dita Von Teese or opt for a stud piercing à la the late Amy Winehouse. Who knows; perhaps these moles will even bring you good luck!