When I was a teenager I was ALL about the tan. I would literally bake myself on holidays turning over at various intervals while doing nothing more than reading a book! When I hit my twenties I was a little more wise and would do things rather sensibly, often not sitting out in the sunshine for too long at all and instead choosing to wear high SPF cream and then faking it with something like St Tropez when I wanted to get the glow. Believe me I have used cheaper alternatives but going orange just doesn’t give quite the same impact (at least in the same way) and investing in a good one really is worth the extra pennies!

Of course hitting my 30s and becoming a parent meant that my days of lounging in the sunshine were far behind me and instead of reading a book on the beach be it in the shade or in the blazing sun, my days of sand castle building and looking after little people’s needs ahead of my own had begun. I rarely have the time to even fake my tan these days and as for using the right creams to protect my skin… Well let’s just say this may have taken a back seat in recent years. when it comes to the kids I am on it like cheese on toast and always slathering them up but while they have remained totally protected I, on the other hand, have often found myself with what I like to affectionately call ‘parenting white hand syndrome’… Come on, we’ve all been there… A summer filled with red noses (because we’ve forgotten to do ourselves) but totally white hands because after we’ve ensured the kids have the correct SPF we’ve rubbed the rest of it into our fingers perhaps a little bit of the forearm if we’re lucky) as we absent mindedly think we’ll get around to doing the rest of our bodies in a minute once we’ve stopped the kids from going too deep in the sea and eating sand, we suddenly realise it’s the end of the day, we’ve burned our skin and wondered why on earth we didn’t put some flipping cream on!

This year I intend it to be different and by the end of August I won’t, I absolutely won’t, have a red and peeling nose, my shoulders will not be a delightful shade of lobster and yet I WILL have a healthy summer glow. Here’s how I’m going to do it as a parent in three easy steps…

1. I will invest in some great sun tan lotion for myself with a high SPF but one which still allows me to get a little bit of sunshine kiss my skin. Red might be bad but pasty white is worse (especially if it’s in contrast between your shoulders and your hands – oh dear)! I”l probably buy wholesale St Tropez from Ellisons because just as with the fake tan they offer, their sun cream is just a bit of a cut above too. I’m tired of not having something which smells good, is easy to apply and works brilliantly so this year I’m having the best!
2. I will do my own sun tan lotion prior to making sure the kids are done. Somehow after the struggle of physically wrestling it onto Jimmy I just don’t seem to have the energy to remember myself so this has GOT to be the way forward!
3. I’m going to take tips from the Ellisons and St Tropez e-book Ready, Set, Glow! It tells me how to tan responsibly, which tan I should aim for with my skin type and how to prepare for those all important summer dates… With festivals, weddings and summer fun in the offing I really don’t want to be red faced or white handed!

Who knows… This summer, if I’m totally organised I may even get some time to read in the sunshine after I’ve made sure my skin is protected from the rays!

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