Becoming a self-tanning pro is a fine art. It takes time, practice and dedication. Some of us are more talented in this area than others.  To help you avoid any tan disasters this summer, we've teamed up with Rimmel Sunshimmer to provide you with eight tanning tips to follow before you finally ditch those tights. 1. Thou shalt exfoliate If you're a regular tan user, make sure you exfoliate frequently to avoid any build up of different layers of tan. Pay particular attention to the knees, elbows, ankles and heels. Tan sinks into dry skin, leaving dark patches that look anything but natural. And nobody wants that. 2. Thou shall moisturise The biggest cause of patchy tan is dry skin, so it's important to moisturise thoroughly the night before to get your skin feeling as silky smooth as possible. Again, focus on problem areas like ankles and feet, knees, wrists and hands. Moisturise these areas just before you apply your tan. 3. Thou shan't wax or shave beforehand If you’re de-fuzzing before tanning, make sure you do it more than 24 hours before you apply your tan. The same goes for getting a manicure or your hair coloured. Get it all done before you tackle the tan. 4. Thou shalt always wear an applicator mitt Once you've got tanned palms, it's hard to go back. Always, always wear an applicator mitt or gloves when applying tan. Only remove to apply a light cover of tan to the back of each hand. This can be done using a cotton pad. 5. Thou shalt work from the bottom up A rookie mistake. When applying tan, start at your ankles and work your way up to your shoulders to prevent any marks when you bend over, and save your hands and arms for last. If you're short on time, try using Rimmel's Sunshimmer Mousse. The lightweight formula dries quickly and develops in just one hour. 7. Thou shalt dab Vaseline on your hairline Dotting a small amount of Vaseline along your eyeborws and hairline is one of the best tanning tips we've ever received. Applying tan to the face should be treated with caution, and using Vaseline means that any slip oft the hand will prevent dodgy streaks appearing in those areas of the face. Ingenious. 8. Thou shalt use a claw effect  Hands and fingers are the final parts of the body to tackle with tan. When tanning your hands, make a claw to make sure you don’t miss the knuckle area. Tan fingers individually to avoid creases. This article is brought to you by Rimmel Sunshimmer. To celebrate the launch of  Rimmel's Sunshimmer Self Tan Mousse, Rimmel is giving away a year's supply of Sunshimmer products to the value of €200 to one lucky winner. Click here to enter.