Create the perfect sun-kissed glow with the help of our expert application techniques...

01. For best results, wax or remove unwanted body hair the day before you self-tan to allow your skin time to recover. Paint your finger and toe nails with nail polish to protect and avoid staining your nails.

02. Prior to applying self-tan, either at home or in the salon, always ensure you thoroughly exfoliate your skin with a body scrub, loofah or body brush to remove dead skin cells. Additionally, work a pumice stone around the soles and heels of your feet to remove hardened, calloused skin. Pay special to attention to rough, dry areas on the elbows, hands, knees, ankles and feet and exfoliate in a circular motion to encourage smooth lustrous skin and boost circulation (this also helps banish cellulite - hurray!)

03. After showing, generously apply a moisturising cream or lotion all over your body and massage into particularly dry areas of skin to ensure your skin stays silky smooth - this creates the basis of a glossy, even tan.

04. It is a little-known fact that applying self-tan to an alkaline skin can make your skin turn somewhat, shall we say... orange! To avoid looking like an 'Umpa Lumpa', wait half an hour after showering for your skin to readjust to its normal ph level and to allow the moisturiser to fully absorb into your skin.

05. To prepare your face, cleanse and lightly exfoliate with a gentle facial exfoliant. Rinse, pat dry, apply a light moisturiser and eye cream and allow it to absorb.

06. Choosing the right brand or product of self-tan for your skin colouring is critical to achieving a lustrous glistening tan... If your skin tone is naturally dark or olive, opt for a medium to dark self-tan.

Pale-skinned Celtic complexions should experiment with a light to medium self-tan product - don't make the mistake of choosing a product designed to give a deep dark tan, unless you want to look like 'you've been tangoed'! For the 'just stepped out of the salon effect,' home airbrush spray systems are a highly recommend option - the best kits come with refill cans, hair protection caps and disposable thong underwear and with practise, you can achieve a professional finish in the comfort of your own home.

07. For home use it is easiest to choose a tinted self-tan so that you can see where you are applying the colour. Don't worry if the resulting colour turns out to be lighter than you anticipated - it can be intensified with further daily applications until you reach your desired shade.

08. Wear latex surgical gloves (available from most chemists) to avoid staining your hands. Wearing gloves avoids orange palms and is easier than constantly washing your hands!

09. Blondes should be careful when applying self-tan around the hairline and eyebrows, as light coloured hair will visibly absorb the self-tan product. Brunettes don't have to be quite so careful, but using a barrier cream, such as Vaseline around your hairline, nails, cuticles (fingers and toes) and eyebrows will help prevent staining.

10. Apply your self-tan product in smooth, even strokes all over your body, using the product sparingly on the collarbone and taking care to avoid your elbows, knees, ankles and feet in the first instance. Wait five minutes then apply a very small sweep of product over the knees and elbows and massage with slightly damp hands over the area to blend in and avoid tide marks. Keep a damp cotton pad or washcloth to hand to wipe off any excess product and don't worry if you do end up with a few dark spots - tan removers are ideal for next day use to lighten and remove excess patches.

11. When applying to your face, use either a specific facial self-tan or mix a little of your body self-tan with your regular moisturiser to achieve a light golden colour - this can be added to the following day if necessary. Apply sparingly, concentrating on the areas that naturally catch sun, eg. your forehead, nose and cheekbones. Make sure you blend the product right into your hairline, under and around the jaw and down your neck into your décolleté.

12. Remember to put a light application on your ears, especially if you like to wear your hair in a ponytail or tucked behind your ears.

13. Once you have finished applying product on your face and body, it is time for your hands and feet. Use a minimum amount of self-tan for both hands and feet, as dryer skin areas will readily absorb the colour and leave tell-tale tide marks. To achieve natural looking hands and feet, remove the gloves or wash your hands very thoroughly, concentrating on between your fingers and on your palms, then generously apply your regular hand cream to your hands and feet and allow it to absorb completely. Next, blend a little of the self-tan product with a peanut size amount of your hand cream and lightly sweep over the backs of your hands, wrists and feet and toes with a cotton wool ball.

14. Allow the self-tan to fully absorb into your skin for 15 minutes and then you are ready to dive into your Dreamtan Protective Tanning Bedliner and wake up refreshed and glowing with a radiant tan on your body and not on your sheets!

15. The light golden colour will intensify over the next 1-3 hours after application. Avoid taking a shower within 8 hours of application. Once you have achieved your desired colour keep it consistent by gently exfoliating, moisturising and reapplying self-tan every 3-4 days.

16. To maintain your self-tan for as long as possible, moisturise your skin generously, morning and evening, to keep your skin gleaming. Avoid saunas, long baths and heavily chlorinated swimming pools. Tan removers are an ideal solution to remove streaks when your self-tan starts to fade....

Once you've achieved your desired shade of sun tanned goddess, all you need to do is slip on your best white dress, dust a haze of bronze highlighter over your cheekbones and temples - for that added celebrity radiance - and tell everyone you've just returned from Barbados and the food was terrible!