Archive copy by Jenni Baden Howard

Dip a natural bristle brush, loofah or hemp mitt in cool water, then brush dry skin in long, sweeping movements, working from the feet upwards. Don't be too vigorous and be gentle on delicate areas such as the chest. Exfoliating scrubs also make great body buffers. Before a bath or shower, dampen skin slightly then apply Clinique Body Exfoliating Cream, £ 11.50, The Body Shop Rice Bran Scrub, £5.25, or Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub £17.75, all over.

For sensitive skins, try Aveda Smoothing Body Polish, £15, or Montagne jeunesse Seaweed & Mineral Shower Gel, £2.29.

Oily, blemished areas will benefit from a deep-cleansing body

mask. Princess Marcella Borghese Fango Active Mud for Face & Body, £28, is rich in natural mineral salts, while Marks & Spencer's spastyle From the Sea Purifying Mud Treatment, £6, contains therapeutic Dead Sea salts. Or book a professional treatment, such as the Micronized Marine Algae Envelopment, £45, at The Sanctuary (0171 240 9635). Your body is covered in a mineral-rich seaweed paste and wrapped in a heated blanket. The Inch Wrap, half-body from £32.90, at Bharti Vyas Holistic & Beauty Centre, uses Dead Sea mud and leaves skin polished (0171935 5312). Slough away rough skin on elbows, knees and heels with a deepcleansing mask. Rinse off to reveal velvety, soft skin. For hard-to-reach areas like the back, put yourself in professional hands and book a part-body treatment. Aveda's Back Spa Treatment, from £15 (salons: 0171 636 7911), or The Green Room's Back Cleansing, £17.50 (0171379 9600), will leave your back silky smooth and ready for exposure.

NO-MELT MAKE-UP

Even if you wear less make-up in summer, you don’t want what’s there to slide or smudge when the office is sweltering. Revlon’s new Colourstay Makeup, £11.50, stays put due to its blend of special polymers in a water-resistant, silicon-based emulsion. Likewise, Clinique Workout Makeup, £15.50, and Estée Lauder Maximum Cover Lightweight Creme Makeup, £16, won’t be shifted by heat or water. No7’s Continuous Cover Collection comprises waterproof, smudge-proof basics with UV filters, such as Continuous Cover Make-Up, £4.75, Continuous Shadow, £4.15, and Protective Waterproof Mascara, £4.25. Other reliable waterproof mascaras are Lancome’s new �ternicils, £13.50, and Bourjois Cil Waterproof Mascara, £4.75. Give lips long-lasting colour with Clinique Long Last Lipstick, £10, with silicia beans for greater staying power. L’Oréal Perfection Colour Endue, £4.99, or Shiseido Staying Power Lipstick, £16.

FOR THE SMOOTHEST SUMMER EVER

Try waxing and sugaring which can remove hair at the root, keeping it away for up to five weeks. Book a salon treatment before your holiday, or do it yourself at home. Prewaxed strips, such as Louis Marcell’s Wax Strips, £4.89, are quick to use as they don't need heating up.

The jury is out on which is the least painful - waxing or sugaring, but many women swear by sugaring. It can be done on all areas, including the bikini line and stomach. Like waxing, sugaring is not for the fainthearted as hair is ripped out from the roots by cotton strips covered with thick sticky sugar. Try The Body Shop Sugaring Solution, £4.95, with Cotton Strips, £2.50. Avoid these treatments just before a period, as your pain threshold tends to be lower then.

If you can't face the pain, depilatory creams dissolve hair just below the surface of the skin but have a regrowth rate of about two to three days. As these creams can irritate some skins, particularly sensitive types, don't use them just before going into the sun. Boots Hair Removing Cream Sensitive Skin Formula, £1.89, is one to try. Similarly, avoid shaving right before applying sun protection products to avoid irritation.

The sun lightens facial hair, or you con get the same effect with a cream bleach such as Jolen's new, milder Creme Bleach With Aloe Vera, £3.70. Rinse the product off thoroughly, and wait a few hours before going into the sun to avoid irritation.

Counteract summer dryness and keep skin smooth and soft with lashings of pampering body lotion. Slather on The Body Shop's non-greasy Vitamin E Body Lotion, £3.80, or Lanc6me R6flexe Caresse Hydrating Renewing Body Gel, £20. Look out for the lightly perfumed lotions, such as Clinique's new Wrappings Body Smoother, £18, Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio Perfumed Body Lotion, £15. or Donna Karan Cashmere Body Lotion, £38.

SEA-PROOF HAIR

The sun is not the only enemy of healthy hair. It’s important to shield locks against dehydration and discolouration when you’re swimming in the sea or pool. Sea water is notoriously drying, ruffling the outer cuticles of the hair shaft and making hair coarse,dry and unmanageable. Even if you can’t shampoo your hair on the beach, put your head under a fresh-water shower if at all possible.

The chlorine and other chemicals present in pool water pose a special threat to bleached or highlighted hair. Comb through a barrier product, such as Kiehl’s Leave-In Conditioner with Sunscreen, £13.95, or Jo Hansford Cream Therapy Conditioner, £5.95. Wash hair immediately after swimming with Ultra Swim Protective Shampoo, £2.99, and restore lost strength and moisture with Paul Mitchell’s new Creatives Herbal Complex Series Revitalizing Hair Masque, £12.25.

THE DEFINITIVE FAKE TAN

These days it's easy to fake a golden glow and this summer's citrus clothes look stunning against lightly bronzed skin.

Clarins has made the Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) molecule (the agent, derived from grapes, which reacts with the skin's natural protein to produce the 'tan') more stable by combining it with bisulphate, ensuring a more even application of Clarins Self Tanning Milk, £12.50, and Gel, £12.50. Origins Summer Vacation, £12.50, meanwhile, contains alpha hydroxy fruit acids to help control the pH balance of the skin so that colour is not orangey.

As different skin types 'take' colour differently, Clinique's new Self-Tanning Face Formula, £12.50, comes in two variations: dry/normal and oily. Lancaster Precise Self-Tan for Face, SPF16, £13.50, is available in Light Golden, Medium/Deep Terra Bronze and Medium/ Deep Golden Bronze, or try Estée Lauder Self-Action Supertan Spray in Medium, £17, or Supertan Lotion, £17, in Medium or Dark.

For best results, exfoliate skin first. Try Lancaster Body Refining Creme, £10, and rub body lotion on to knees, elbows and heels. Protect nails and hairline from stains with a barrier cream such as Vaseline. When applying fake tan, start from your feet and work up, blending well around ankles, between toes and not missing out the back of the neck. Work quickly and wash hands immediately afterwards. Wait 15 minutes before dressing or going to bed.

For first-time fakers, a professional self-tanning treatment ensures streak-free results. Highly recommended is Decleor Self-Tanning Treatment, from £30 (salons: 0 171.262 0403). Others to try: Clarins TopTo Toe Bronzing Treatment, from £25 (studios: 0171629 2979); The Green Room Natural Tanning, £29 full body, £ 17.50 half body (0 1713 79 9600), and Selfridges Spa Auto Bronze Tanning Treatment, £35 (0171318 3389).

Not to be confused with tinted moisturisers, wash-off temporary 'tans', like Ambre Solaire Duo Tan Instant Tan, £3.49, give skin an instant veil of colour that washes off with soap and water. Tinted moisturisers can smudge, but these non-greasy formulas are quickly absorbed and leave no residue on the skin.

DON'T OVERHEAT

The abundance of manmade fibres this season means that skin is prone to overheating when temperatures rise. Wearing natural fibres next to the skin helps reduce irritation.

A new generation of dusting powders is emerging to help keep skin fresh. Nina Ricci Deci Dela Perfumed Dusting Powder, £38, has peach blossom to absorb moisture.

At work, cool down with a squirt of scent like the latest unisex, no-nonsense Paco, £28. The aluminium eau de toilette spray will add a bit of class to your intray. And keep a tray of ice cubes in the office fridge to melt over pulse points.

Calamine lotion, such as Lacto Calamine Lotion, £3.45, is the best skin soother.

To prevent bites and stings, try Boots Repel Plus, £3.69, or apply essential oil of citronella neat to your clothes. Neal's Yard Remedies Lemon Gross Sun Oil, £5.60, or Lotion, £5.75, naturally repel insects. Treat bites and stings with Tisserand Natural Antiseptic Cream, £3.99, After Bite, £2.69, or Waspeze, £3.99. Refresh hot, tired legs with Clarins Energizing Emulsion For Tired Legs, £14, Elemis Aromatic Refreshing Gel, £16.05 or JF Lazartigue Institut des jambes Revitalising Spray, £14. Apply to bare legs or through tights for instant relief.

PRISTINE, POLISHED NAILS

This summer’s thong sandals leave nowhere to hide for less-than-pretty feet, so polish them up with a pedicure.

Soak feet for ten minutes in a bowl of warm soapy water. Dry, then smooth with a foot file or pumice stone. Or try Newtons Foot Therapy Pumice Foot Scrub, £t.89. Trim nails straight across with clippers and shape with in emery board. Massage feet with Tisserand Refreshing Foot Lotion, £3.80, or Lush Pied De Pepper Foot Cream, £5.75 (mail order. 0 1202668545). Use an orange stick wrapped in cotton wool to gently push back cuticles, then apply a base coat to nails. Follow with two coats of polish and finish with a top coat. Whether you fall for pearly pink or cyber blue, this season’s nail colours call for well-manicures hands. Take off old polish with a non-drying remover such as Boots Conditioning Nail Polish Remover, £ 1.49, and soak hands in a bowl of warm water with a few drops of lemon juice. Dry and massage with a hand cream such as Neal’s Yard Remedies Almond Hand Cream, £5, and with a cuticle cream, such as Barielle Extra Gentle Cuticle Minimizer, £5.95. Buff with a chamois buffer, then apply a base coat, two coats of polish and a top coat.