Kelly Brook's fake tan expert shares her essential self-tanning tips

As the sun comes out thoughts turn to self-tanning - and there's nothing as instantly colour and confidence-boosting as a spray on tan.

Every year we browse the how-to guides, gobble up the new products and yet for many of us, TOWIE-hues and pesky streaks still appear to ruin our golden skin dreams. But fear not, follow these St Tropez tanner's tips to ensure this is your season to go beautifully bronzed.

"We've had such a long winter that I'm not expecting there to be much subtlety in tanning this season," explains Michaella Bolder, tanning and skin finishing expert at St Tropez (who has had the pleasure of spraying celebs for the red carpet including Kelly Brook and Tilda Swinton).

"Especially on the red carpet. We'll see celebs going very hard on the tan. With all the bad weather, we're all feeling rather pale and unwilling to shed the layers. Tan takes that insecurity away."

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She predicts that for spring we'll be seeing a glamorously golden tan with a dewy finish, rather than subtle or matte tones - both on and off the red carpet.

"We've got some great new products for giving the skin a glistening, glowing look that just gives it that extra healthy boost," she explains.

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"There are a few key essentials and getting them wrong is what ends up causing irregular coverage and streaks," Michaella tells us.

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Michaella's self tanning essentials:

Preparation. Make sure you exfoliate and do any hair removal at least 24 hours in advance. Any less than this and your pores will be open and product can pool in them.

Moisturise. Moisturise your hands, wrists, elbows, knees, feet and ankles - particularly the back of them. The moisturiser provides a barrier that dilutes the colour on these delicate or dryer parts of the body.

Pick the right product. Get the right shade for your skin tone and if you have sensitive or problem skin opt for a product that takes that into account. It's also essential that you use a mitt. Without one, the solution gets between your fingers and spreads around your skin causing those dreaded streaks. For your face you can use mini-mitts.

Leave it on. Be brave and give your tan enough time to develop before washing it off - ideally overnight. Wear loose, dark clothes and no bra if possible to avoid strap marks. Wash off in the shower the next day and be sure to pat your skin dry rather than rub.

Aftercare. For a healthy glow use a finishing product that highlights the tan and glitters for a dewy effect. For the first three days, shower as usual and moisturise once or ideally twice a day. Then, and this is the bit people often forget, exfoliate on day three or four.

It seems counter-intuitive but it encourages normal cell turnover in the skin so your tan stays even rather than shedding at different rates in different areas - which causes blotching and uneven coverage.

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Detox. Give you skin an oil-detox that sheds any build up of product and dead skin cells so you can start again on a clean palette.

"At all times you're trying to nourish the skin as much as possible. The healthier it is, the better it will take and keep the tan."