Well today it has really begun to feel like Spring has sprung! Warmer days will soon be upon us, and so with thoughts of a new (skimpier) summer wardrobe on my mind I thought it might be useful to write a review based on my experiences of self-tanning, and in particular my favourite self-tan product, St Tropez.

Self-tanning does take a bit of practice to get right, and despite what seasoned users of St Tropez might claim, this product is no different in that sense. The key to good self-tanning I'm afraid is good preparation, patience and precision application. But, I'd like to share my tips with you and hopefully make the experience a little easier.

Now this is where the patience begins. NEVER (sorry to shout, but I feel I must stress this point!) apply the self-tan straight after taking your bath or shower! Although it is important that your skin is clean, the heat from the bath/shower will open your pores and if you apply the self-tan too soon afterwards you will end up with little brown dots where the product settles in the pores! It will take weeks of exfoliating to fully remove the gunk, trust me. Not pleasant! So I recommend waiting several hours before applying. It is worth bearing in mind at this point that you will need to wait a couple of hours after application before going to bed/ wearing tight clothing or showering/bathing again. So you need to plan this well! I usually aim to do this on a weekday evening when I know I won't be disturbed. I'll take my shower as soon as I arrive home from work. Then by the time I've had dinner, read a paper or watched some TV, sufficient time has elapsed so that I can apply the tan, but so that there'll still be a couple of hours to go before bedtime! And while on the subject of bedtime, make sure you wear an old T-shirt or Nightshirt to bed, as some of the excess product will wear off onto your night clothing as well as sheets etc if not protected from it. The idea with St Tropez is that you wash the excess off after it has had time to work, so also do not be alarmed if after a few hours of developement (despite what it says on the tin, the tan isn't that instant! It takes a few hours to develop!) you appear rather orange! This is no indication of the final colour your skin will be! It is also important not to do anything too strenuous after applying the tan as perspiration will make your tan streak! So again, I'll leave you to plan when this will work best for you!

So, armed with the mousse, mit, back-applicator thingy and removal wipes, I recommend starting with your legs and feet and working upwards. You will also need a body mosturiser to hand, as in my experience, the only way you avoid 'build-up' of the product on the bonier parts of your body (ankles, knees, toes, elbows etc) is to mix it with a moisturiser first. Starting with your shins, apply the mousse straight to your skin and blend it using a circular motion. Try not to rub the formula into your skin. As long as you cover the whole area (even if more heavily in some places than others) it should develop evenly. The mousse is tinted with a brown pigment so you should be able to see any bits you've missed. As you approach your knees and feet, squirt some of the formula into your (mitted) hand and mix with moisturiser. I think two parts mousse to one part moisturiser should be about right. I tend to reverse this for the outer edges of my feet and toes and use two parts moisturiser to one part mousse, else you do end up with orange tootsies! You also need to 'draw a line' where the self-tan needs to stop (you're obviously not going to apply it to the soles of your feet!) so by using more moisturiser in this area, you can fade and blend your tan out nicely.

As for applying to your back, the back applicator thingy should make this fairly easy. It takes a little bit of perseverance, but I promise you'll get the hang of using it pretty quickly and should have all parts covered! If you can't master it, you'll have to lend your mit to a trusted friend or partner and have them lend a hand!

St Tropez Whipped Bronze Mousse is formulated to develop according to your natural skin colouring and tone.Don't ask me how it does it! It's just clever like that. But if you're fair like me, there's no chance you're going to end up looking like a Californian Barbie Doll (no offence to Barbie Dolls, just I would look very silly indeed with skin that colour!). If you're naturally darker skinned, however, I would suspect you might need to apply twice to see a marked difference in colour. One thing is for certain though, and that is four or five hours after application you will be a lovely shade of orange! Take a bath or shower and you'll be amazed at how the excess product washes away to leave a lovely, natural-looking bronzed you! And hopefully, if you've followed my tried and tested method of application above, it will also be streak-free!