MAXINE GORDON gets some hot tips on looking sun-kissed for summer

BEING sun safe is all very well, but slapping on the factor 50 won't give you a golden glow.

So it's just as well there is an array of products to help you fake that "just-back-from-the-Med" tan.

Tinted moisturisers, bronzers, burnished blushers, fake tanning oils, creams and sprays are just some of the products available to allow us to brown at our leisure.

For a low down on the latest products and how to apply them, I booked in for a consultation at the beauty hall at the new Marks & Spencer at the Vangarde Shopping Park at Monks Cross.

Beauty consultant Jade Coole began by giving my complexion a bronzing boost. She used a tinted moisturiser from the Autograph range (Illuminating Touch in light , £9.50) which gave a subtle glow to the skin. She dabbed on some translucent powder (Autograph Invisible Hush, £12) to set the make-up and take away shine before getting to work on "contouring" my cheeks with bronzer and blusher.

Like an artist at work, she artfully used a brush to apply the Autograph bronzer (£9.50), creating a "shadow" beneath my cheekbones, then added a highlighting shade in the shape of a pretty Apricot blusher (Autograph, £7) on the highest part of my cheekbone.

She used some warm brown shades on my eyes, including an eyeliner in brown ("much softer than black," said Jade) and finished with a smear of Melba Blush lipstick (Limited, £5), which leant a summery colour lift to my lips.

Jade then advised me on what fake tanning products to use on my body. Again, the range today on offer is exhaustive. I normally use a body moisturiser with a tanning agent that develops over the space of a few hours.

But Jade encouraged me to try some of the Fake Bake range stocked by M&S.

She send me off with a Fake Bake travel set to try at home that included an exfoliating product as well as a tanning lotion - but not before going over the golden rules of self-tanning.

1. Exfoliate

"This will remove dead skin cells and dry patches," said Jade. "If you don't do this, you will find that the fake tan will clog on the dry patches. Also, if you exfoliate, it will prolong the life of your fake tan."

2. Use oil-free moisturiser

"If you are sun-bathing naturally, you want oil to encourage a suntan, but with fake tans you want the opposite. This will help the product absorb into the skin and develop evenly."

3. Bend joints on application

"Bend your elbows and knees when applying fake tan; this way your skin is nice and taut and you will get an even coverage."

4. Use gloves.

"Wear gloves to protect the palms of your hands from discolouring, or scrub your palms well after application."

• If you want to update your look for summer or need skin care advice, you can book a free consultation or make-over with an M&S consultant: inquire at the new M&S beauty hall at Monks Cross.