I tried out some great aftersuns on holiday – take note if you’re off on your holidays or you’ve already been but want to prolong your sunkissed colour! I had loads with me (I made poor Mr AMR lug half of them in his bag!) but here are my favourite five.

1) Thalgo Hydra Soothing Lotion, £25.50 from FeelUnique.com: is instantly cooling and calming and has a slight shimmer to it, so perfect if you’re going out for the evening and want to have a sexy glow!

2) Beau Bronz’s Abi O Shimmer Tan Boost actually has a little bit of tanner in it. I wondered why my hands were more tanned than the rest of me on the last day of my hols! I thought that this was just an intensely sparkly body lotion! Nice, though – I have tried Beau Bronz’s gradual tanner too and it’s one of the best for fair skin that I’ve seen. If you want to have a little try, they do 50ml bottles for £8. Beau Bronz

3) Lierac’s aftersun is a gorgeously soothing, cooling formula. It manages to be rich and light at the same time, which might sound strange but it’s true! I have no idea how this prolongs a tan – your guess is as good as mine – but it is intensely hydrating and it has a lovely faint shimmer to it. It’s £18.50 with free delivery from FeelUnique.com.

4) Lancaster Tan Maximiser. Ah, the old classic! Light and soothing, has a bit of a soapy-ish smell, encourages melanin production to prolong your tan. It’s an airport Duty-Free bestseller and for good reason – it works. Scent-snobs may prefer the Thalgo version below. Find Lancaster at Selfridges.com

5) Thalgo’s Bronzing Activator (like the Lancaster above) stimulates melanin production to help intensify and prolong your colour. It works brilliantly. I used as an aftersun because it was so light and cool, but I also used it for about a week before going on holiday in preparation for the heat. I go brown very easily, so I have to spend a lot of time in the shade. I don’t like to look too brown and it isn’t good for work, besides the obvious health issues! This handy body cream is £24.50 with free delivery from FeelUnique.com

Notes:

Apply your aftersun after showering, NOT over the top of your SPF. Some sunscreens are quite hard to remove, especially the water resistant ones! Make sure you use shower gel and a flannel, go easy if you’re at all sore or burnt. (Which you SHOULDN’T BE!)

Light gels and creams work better as aftersun than rich, heavy creams and oils. Rich products can trap heat against the skin and they also don’t feel that comfortable if you’re in a very hot country! The oils can melt and make you feel sweaty and sticky.

As mentioned above, you can use the melanin products before your hols. That’s what I do. I find that I need to spend very little time in the sun to get a gorgeous glow – safer and better for the old wrinkle-situation!