With a client list featuring the likes of Rihanna, Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow, Nichola Joss is the ultimate celebrity tanning guru. Joss worked with Paltrow at this year's Academy Awards (pictured left).

And if anyone can comment on the hottest tanning trends for 2012 it’s her.

“People look for a dark, very sexy tan now,” Joss told Cover Media.

“But it’s a sheer tan that looks natural. This desire for a certain colour comes from our need for change, but also from the new products who allow us to get a deeper tan that looks good.”

She has noticed a spiked interest in faux-tan. One might think it has to do with the Jersey Shore girls invading our TVs and our homes, but Joss attributes it to the increased awareness of the potential dangers of tanning.

“People are not doing sunbeds so are turning to self-tanning as it’s safer. It’s really important not to over-expose your skin to the sun, both from an anti-ageing perspective and from a cancer point of view,” she says.

Joss works as a consultant for self-tanning brand St Tropez, with whom she creates tans for designers at London Fashion Week.

Issa, Erdem and House of Holland are just some of the big names she’s worked with.

And last season, models at Julien McDonald walked down the runway with a sheer, almost pastel tan thanks to Joss and a new product called illuminators. They are used on top of the very dark skin tone requested by McDonald.

“Before we created those new tans I needed to use theatre makeup to get the right shade, and then I used hairspray to fix it. This is so much easier,” Joss adds. © Cover Media