Q. I am hoping to get my legs and backside in (better) shape for my summer beach holiday. I have a few weeks now to prep. Have you any suggestions? A. We have lots of tips for getting lower limbs looking gorgeous, ranging from low(er) cost DIY to salon investment. Here’s the bottom line …:

Exfoliate, moisturise, tan: whatever shape your pins, they will look much, much better if you apply moisturiser daily, exfoliate regularly, and work up a golden tan.

There are lots of good scrubs on the market but, for our money, the simplest thing is Dermasuri, a little mitt not a topical product, which you whisk over your body to remove dead skin cells leaving nice smooth skin. It’s great for ingrowing hairs, too. They promise you will only need to use it once a fortnight, then watch how moisturiser is lapped up. Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt/£19.95, www.victoriahealth.com

One of our favourite body moisturisers is Liz Earle Nourishing Botanical Body Cream/£19 for 200 ml, which goes on like a dream and is super-effective. That’s a daily must.

A veil of gold – any shade from pale to copper – looks fabulous and conceals a multitude of blemishes from small veins to cellulite. Our Summer Sun favourites run on www.beautybible.com throughout June, but we are currently mad about Guerlain Terracotta Sunless Tinted Self-Tanning Gel, £36.50 for 150 ml. Friends also rave about Vita Liberata Self Tanning Tinted Mousse, £19.50 for 100 ml.

Body brush three times a week: get in the habit of using a dry skin body brush and you will never regret it. We’ve been doing it forever – and not only does it give you feeling energised in the mornings but neither of us have any cellulite to speak of. Try Mio Body Brush Kit is a good shape and texture, and notes on how to use it/£14.50 at  www.amazon.co.uk

Try a 'Leg Enhancing Booster': leading London clinic Absolute Aesthetics’s innovative Leg Service is proving popular, we’re told. They offer a range of in-house Booster treatments to brighten and smooth skin with a lactic acid peel, then treat with one of three boosters, massage and remodel (with a mask) then moisturise with an intensifying cream. You can buy homecare products to maintain the effects. Absolute Aesthetics, One Chapel Place, London W1G 0BG/020 3757 7178. Prices start from £100.

Lift & Sculpt your bottom and thighs: CACI (Computer Aided Cosmetology Instrument) has been nudging facial contours upwards for over a generation. Now you can have the same micro-current technology applied to your body, in this case for what the therapist described as a ‘bum lift’. Which it definitely did, based on the before and after snaps on Sarah’s iPhone. (It’s a bit disturbing if you forget they are there and are trying to show friends a picture of something completely different. You might want to press Delete pdq after a session.)

Using conductive rollers, which release little jolts of electricity (not painful but you might jump at first), the treatment apparently helps to break down fat, tone muscles and tighten targeted areas, as well as stimulating circulation to help flush away toxins. The effect was immediate and noticeable. The Mandara Spa therapist recommended a series of sessions, two to three times a week for a month, then every four weeks for maintenance. CACI Lift & Sculpt, £70 per session, Mandara Spa at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London SE1 7UT/020 7620 7300.

Finally, visit The Legologist at www.legology.co.uk: there’s no one more qualified than our old friend Kate Shapland, who has her own range of high performance leg care – plus a site that is bursting with interesting info.