COLUMN: Tanning yourself from Casper to Kardashian

The good British weather is currently playing havoc with my wardrobe.'¨We seem to be enjoying a couple of days of glorious sunshine and then pay the price with rain. My winter tights are doing the twist and I still haven't put the boots away for annual summer hibernation. The second the sun does break through the clouds and shine there is no time to lose to ensure we make the most of the weather and look stylish. Looking beach bronzed ready at a moment's notice can be a tall order and having to unveil our pasty white bodies, which haven't seen much daylight over the winter months, can be daunting. Looking like I have just stepped off a plane from Ibiza is hard when you live in Rotherham! '¨I know there are a few ways to get a quick tan, however having had two potentially cancerous moles removed in recent years, for me the only way is to fake it. '¨I will be honest though, self-tan scares me and I always fear that I will end up looking like the colour of an Oompa Loompa or Madge from Benidorm. '¨Luckily one of my school mum friends, Natalie, runs her own luxury spray tan business and she offered to help get my body looking summer ready. I have had numerous tans applied in salons before but I have never personally known the beauty therapist, which has always made the experience a little less embarrassing. the obligatory paper knickers you have to wear leave little to the imagination and there is nowhere to hide inside the tanning room.'¨However, my quest to look bronzed and the chance that I may be able to go bare legged to work overtook my initial fears about baring all in front of a friend. '¨So there I was, standing in the tanning booth wearing the aforementioned paper underwear, a hair net and just a smile. '¨I have to say Natalie was very professional and instantly made me feel at ease. I never felt embarrassed or uncomfortable and it was actually quite liberating. We chatted while she sprayed and around 15 mins later I was positively glowing. Although I did have to sprint to my car as I left as

Having a tan certainly made me feel more body confident and I could ditch tights without feeling like Casper. If Mr Sun decides to shine I am now prepped, bronzed and ready to go - with dignity intact.