IT doesn't matter what the weather forecast is if you have a trusty self tanner to bring some colour into your life.

Forget the bottles of old that smelled horrible and left skin in patchy, unflattering hues. The new breed of tanning products go for gold.

Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster, £26, is self tan but not as we know it. Forget about turning orange and elbows and fingers stained with colour, this ingenious product offers a made to measure natural golden glow to suit every skintone, even the fairest.

Simply use the dropper to add as little or as much as you like to your regular body moisturiser.

It's a body version of the face self-tanner launched last year which develops evenly without being patchy.

Start with four to six drops added to moisturiser, following exfoliating. Then top up with a couple of drops daily to maintain colour.

He-Shi Rapid 1 Hour Liquid Tan, £23.50 from Boots, stains the skin as you put it on so you know if you missed a spot. It smells great and is fantastic if you decide last minute you need a bit of colour.

Meanwhile, He-Shi Gold Foaming Mousse, £26, gives a great colour. It isn't messy and has a lovely fragrance. It is quite possibly one of the best mousse tanning products on the market.

For a lighter colour try James Read Express Bronzing Mousse, £30 from Marks & Spencer. And James Read Day Tan SPF15 Face, £22, produces colour gradually and is easily buildable.

For tips to apply colour evenly, James advices to to rub an ice cube over the face and front of the legs just before applying self tan, to seal the pores and stop the tan blocking them.

Then use a tanning mitt, starting from the face and working down in stages.

When tanning hands and feet, use excess product from the arms and work it down over the hands, then same with the legs.

Don't wash your hands for eight hours after tanning to avoid brown arms and white hands. And leave the tan on for five hours for a weekend away look, or eight hours for a week in the sun look.