Artist August Ward has chased a golden glow for years. Nothing else makes her feel quite as “snatched and glamorous” as her bronzed icons – Paris Hilton and early Lady Gaga – than being (fake) tanned. 

Part of this comes from her sensible aversion to the sun. “I strictly avoid real tanning!” says Ward. “I used to be addicted to the feeling of baking myself in the sun but it is not worth the damage that it does.

“Nowadays, I wear a thick layer of Earth's Kitchen SPF50 sunblock all over my face and neck – my nose always goes red in summer if I don't wear sunblock.”

While Ward has no problem embracing her natural skin tone, sometimes an aerosol foam and a tanning mitt is as good as a holiday, especially in the depths of winter. 

“Obviously I also love pale skin, but if you want a change then totally try fake tanning. If you're too scared to apply it yourself then just go get sprayed - I hear people like Tan in The City. 

In terms of actually doing it yourself just remember that you can always scrub your tan off if it goes bad, just make sure to check in the mirror to see if you have any streaks and to always exfoliate first otherwise you will look like you’ve rubbed dirt into your arms and legs.”

If the self-tanner still intimidates you, follow Ward’s advice and don’t stress about getting it perfectly even on your first go.

“I guess my secret is to not really care. It's fun and trashy to be fake-tanned so just lean into that.”

Here, Ward takes us through her six step routine and favourite products for a party-ready glow. 

Step 1. The night before tanning I will exfoliate my whole body using the Bondi Sands exfoliating glove, and moisturise.

Step 2. The next day, before I tan, I apply moisturiser to anywhere that the tan might stick to dry skin, usually my knees, elbows and neck.

Step 3. After this I apply the tan, I like using a mousse, either the Bondi Sands Ultra Dark Foam or St Tropez Self Tan Express Mousse. I like to apply this with a tanning mitt and I usually do three or four layers of tan.

Step 4. Once my body is tanned I will take whatever is left on the mitt and blend my neck into my face. Sometimes I also tan my forehead and cheeks, but this is probably not that good for your skin and I always avoid eras where I have large pores (my nose).

‍Step 5. Next, I just wait for my tan to develop; recently I've been liking to do this during the day if I have nothing on. The only problem with this is that Bondi Sands is green while developing so you cannot leave the house. If you want to let it develop overnight I would recommend sleeping on a towel or using a tan sack. 

Step 6. The final step is shaving my arms and legs. I used to do this the night before (after exfoliating) but I have found that if you shave afterwards you can get rid of all the little brown fake tan dots and it won't actually get rid of your tan.

Et voilà! Now that you’re as tan as an early aughts party girl, Ward recommends you show it off and wear “something backless, there is literally nothing hotter than a snatched fake tanned back.”