The moment the sun’s out most of us yearn to gild our lily-white post-winter skin. And, as we all know, the safest tan comes out of a tube or bottle. Gone are the days of our youth when self tan was liable to be tiger stripes in shades of deep/light carrot, ponging not so lightly of burnt biscuit – and you left stains on sheets and clothes. These days, modern cosmetic technology offers some fantastic products to give you a fabulous tan. But – as we’ve said before and we’ll say again! – getting the best results depends on careful prepping.

As celebrity tanning artist Amanda Harrington says, ‘preparing skin before self tanning is no different from priming your face for make up or your hair before you style it. Proper prepping needn’t take long but it will give you the best-looking, most long-lasting results with an even, subtle fade.’

From tomorrow, Wednesday 15th April, the prize draw is Amanda’s amazing New Skin Advanced Glycolic Facial Pads plus her pre-tan Buff and Bronze Edit, which includes Face Primer, Beauty Bible Award-winning Face Mist and her special Face Buffer Brush. And we’ll be explaining how to apply those to the best advantage so your face and neck have a lovely natural glow.

Meanwhile, here are Amanda’s tips for tanning your body from neck to toe:

• Choose a self tan shade that suits your skin tone. Amanda’s own products come in tints called Natural Rose, Natural Honey and Natural Olive, £36/150ml. ‘We don't want you to change colour drastically and not really look like yourself,’ she says. To start with, aim for a glow – ‘just you warmed up’ – then you can dial up the colour when you reapply, if you wish.

• Start using skin-softening body products up to three days beforehand (if you don't usually, that is). 

• Exfoliate your skin 24 hours before you plan to apply self tan. Ideally, soak in a warm bath first for 20-30 minutes to soften skin for a more effective scrub.

• Wax, depilate or shave any unwanted hair, again at least 24 hours before.

• Avoid using deodorant or fragrance on skin in the hours before you tan, ditto any oily moisturisers, as these break down the tanning ingredients so they separate and the result will be patchy.

• Line up your chosen self tan product with tanning mitt, gloves or brush to apply; make sure you are standing on a towel/bath mat that doesn't matter if it gets stained with self tan.

- Amanda advises using her Pre-Colour Body Primer, £22/180ml, to moisturise and create a natural slightly tinted base so that the self tan goes on evenly and smoothly. Apply an even layer all over your body, as you would a body lotion. Don't forget to wash your hands after!

• Work in sections across your body, rather than a scattergun approach. We do each leg from thigh to toe, then waist and hips, upper body from neck to waist, then arms.

• Amanda recommends applying the product with gloved hands (her special ones are here/£7), using light soft movements. Then take The Small Body Brush/£32, to blend and buff in the colour, especially round tricky areas like elbows, knees and feet.

• Backs are tricky: you can just about do your lower back from the waist over your buttocks but you do need help with your upper back.

To find more information about Amanda’s 3-step tanning method, and to order products online, visit amandaharrington.com.

Prize Draws