As someone who was fond of time-saving, corner-cutting strategies long before they became a necessity (I drive hairdressers mad, I'm such a terrible fidget) I tend to steer clear of multi-step anythings, from skincare routines to recipes. Couple this with the fact that, by now, I'm always desperate to pack away the winter layers for another year and get into a sunnier groove (goosebumps notwithstanding), I am all for finding ways to fast-forward into summer (which officially began on March 29, as I want to tell everyone with raised eyebrows as I stand, shivering, at the school gate with bare legs and flip-flops before the Easter holidays).

Happily, during these tricky, transitional, not-quite-warm-enough days, you can hit the high summer button with your beauty routine in a way that you can't with your wardrobe (I stand by my ‛seasonally confused' combo of floaty summer skirts and winter Ugg-alikes). Not simply an instant mood-brightener, you'll also be, cunningly, one step ahead of the game when temperatures rise in a few weeks. You'll feel prepped and ready to roll, rather than panicked about rock-hard heels and luminously white legs. What's called for right now are a few fast, effective products and summer-ready tricks that will make you feel immediately, spirit-liftingly set for the new season in a flash. Here's how it's done ...

Smooth moves
The secret to getting skin bare-able in doublequick time is to exfoliate and then drench skin in much-needed moisture. It's amazing how little encouragement skin needs to look lively again after spending months hibernating under jumpers, tights et al. In the shower, whisk over a yummy-smelling body scrub such as Palmolive's Pure Cashmere Exfoliating Shower Scrub, £3.42), which smells gorgeous, or, if your budget allows, Bliss' zesty new Blood Orange + White Pepper Sugar Scrub, (£28). Follow with lashings of body lotion, such as Nirvana Natural's fabulously refreshing, non-greasy Green Tea & Shea Butter Body Lotion (£4.29, at selected supermarkets and at www.nirvananatural.co.uk).

The golden girls
If you haven't yet discovered the genius of gradual self-tanning products, this is definitely the time to give them a go. Fake tanning has come such a long way in recent years - tangerine hands-up who, like me, can recall teenage experiments which left us more jaffa orange than just-back-from-the-Med? - and are improving all the time. The new generation of gradual tanners do exactly that, letting you build up the intensity of ‛tan' with each application. I'm convinced that these are the most foolproof and fabulous way to glow (sorry). And don't worry about the results being so subtle as to almost not be worth it - many now come in a choice of shade depths, so you can pick the one that suits your skin tone and your confidence level.

I absolutely love Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Gradual Tanning Moisturizer (¬£4.88), which not only develops into the most natural-looking, sunkissed colour - just enough to take the edge off pasty pins - but it smells deliciously beachy, too. Other safe bets include Johnson's Holiday Skin Light Glow (¬£4.99) and Garnier's Summer Body Moisturising Lotion,¬£4.99) in Light or Dark. You can also get gradual tanners which contain skin-toning ingredients, too, such as L'Or√©al Paris NutriSummer Tone-Up (¬£7.99), so if you'd usually use a firming cream separately, you can get that covered at the same time (yet another short cut!) For the face, opt for a facial self-tanner such as Clinique's new Self Sun Face Tinted Lotion (¬£15), which acts as an immediate bronzing tint and produces a ‛tan' within a few hours.

The face of summer
Go from post-winter peeky to positively radiant with a sweep of bronzing powder, followed by a ‛pop' of rosy blush on the apples of the cheeks (smile and swirl it onto the chubby bits). It's this combination that results in a truly authentic-looking, healthy glow rather than what make-up artist Linda Cantello told me she calls the too-deep, ‛newsreader tan' that stops at the neck. Choose a shade which works with your skin tone and use a big, soft bronzing brush to apply it - the small ones which come with the compacts are far too fiddly, mostly, and prone to leaving stripes on your cheeks.

Dust your bronzer over the places where you would naturally pick up colour from the sun (forehead, nose and cheeks), blending well - but not so much that you rub it all off again! - and take it down your neck and over your collarbone, if exposed, and décolléte. A word of warning here: wait until you are dressed to apply bronzing make-up, particularly if you are wearing white, to avoid staining your necklines when you put your clothes on. A bit of a giveaway, and something I've done often and usually when I'm in a mad rush.

There is a huge choice of bronzing powders to choose from now, ranging from pricier compacts with cute compartments for the brush etc. to the most basic but effective. Falling into the latter camp are Maybelline New York's new Dream Sun Glow Bronzed Pressed Powder (£4.99) and Rimmel London's new Shimmering Maxi Bronzer (£5.99, available from April). Rose-coloured blushers can be found in every range. Choose one which most closely matches the colour your skin flushes after, say, doing the mum's race on sport's day.

If you prefer, you can apply the same technique using a cream formula bronzer and blush, but the golden rule is to never combine to the two (messy, streaky and altogether not a good idea).

Skin glowing, all you need to complete the fuss-free, summery face is a flick of mascara (if you wear it), and slick of a pretty lip shine. Try Bourjois' much-loved Effet 3D Lipgloss (£7.82) in Rose Symphonic.

Nailing it
Nothing says ‛where's the beach?' like a made-for-summer nail colour. First things first: give dry heels a good sloughing in the shower with a hard skin remover or pumice and then follow with a generous dollop of foot cream. I've mentioned Botanics' Foot Butter (¬£4.39, at Boots) before, because it is brilliant and better than many expensive foot creams. Trim nails and apply colour. Rimmel London's new Lycra Pro Nail Polish (¬£5.49) has just hit counters, and comes in no fewer than 22 shades, while L'Or√©al Paris' new Resist & Shine (¬£4.99), in 32 colours, promises to stay chip-free for up to 7 days (available from 25 March). The last word in polish luxe, coming next month is Chanel's classic Le Vernis (¬£16.50) in Orange Fizz (available from 15 May), an irresistibly summery soft coral. Look out for it ...

For April's beauty treats, click here