I don't know about you, but these days my pre-holiday panics have more to do with whether or not I've packed enough pull-ups and plasters than booking a last minute leg wax (or, rather, reaching for the razor the night before departure, since I'm too wimpy for waxing). Shopping for family size suntan lotions and child-friendly mozzie repellent comes before stocking up on SPF hair oils/the latest bottom and thigh transforming potion (although, ironically, this is the time when I could do with the most help on the firming front! Where would we be without the black tankini, with super-flattering short-style bottoms?)

Yet, while pre-getaway pampering may not be a priority, mums still want to feel good and as beach body-confident as possible when we get there. As my friend Sarah, a 40 year old mum of three, said to me last week about her longed-for holiday to Los Angeles this August to visit family: ‛I just don't want to step off the plane looking like a harried mum'. It's not that we want to be mistaken for Elle Macpherson sauntering through Arrivals (ahem, right). Most of us, like my friend, just want to look and feel pretty. Like us, at our (pardon the clich√©) yummiest. This can be done, with minimal time and fuss. Honestly.

Here's how ...

Before you go ...

No, I'm not about to give you one of those ‛countdown to the beach' beauty plans, where on day one you do nothing except eat papaya and do sit-ups. Rather more realistically, here are some things you can squeeze in between then and now that will truly make a difference when you reach your destination, whether that's a UK campsite, a far-flung beach or something inbetween.

Start at the top. If you can manage it, book in for a sneaky trim before you go on holiday. Not only will this help to prevent rampaging split ends (not that split ends really do that, but to listen to many stylists, you'd think they do), it will help to prevent tresses taking too much of a beating from sun, sea and chlorine if they are in good shape in the first place. Plus, giving your style the edge will boost your mood and make it easier to manage when you're away.

A few months back at MumKnowsBest, we raved about the wonders of the new generation of gradual tanners. These truly are brilliant in that they will take the edge off pasty-looking skin overnight (literally), without the worry of overdoing it with an orangey tanner and telltale, more-haste-more-mishaps streaks. Slap some on for two or three nights before you go away and you'll feel positively radiant when you set off. If possible, take the bottle with you and keep skin moisturised and glowing on holiday by applying every few days. MumKnowsBest loves the irresistibly summery-smelling, very reliable Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Gradual Tanning Moisturizer (£4.88), but we've also got our eyes on the much buzzed-about new Xen-Tan Transform Luxe (£23.95), which promises seamless, orange-free results every time (at Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser stores or visit www.xen-tan.co.uk).

A professional pedicure is a real treat, but if time or budget don't allow, amazing sandal-smooth transformations can be achieved at home. Get hold of Boots' Hard Skin Remover (£2.99) and, in the run-up to your holiday, just massage it over your feet - focusing on heels and any other rough spots - in the bath or shower. Follow with a quick lick of body lotion or foot cream. Then, the night before you set off, trim toenails and apply a couple of coats of a fast-drying nail colour. We love No 7's Speed Dry (£6.10) in new Pillarbox, the most perfect, holiday-happy red. If you can, take the polish on holiday, too, to touch-up the inevitable chips.

When you get there ...

When it comes to packing the perfect getaway beauty kit, there are the super-organised who decant their essentials into practical plastic containers, ready to line up at the other end, and those who cobble things together as best they can, wonder why their bag weighs a ton and invariably end up using the hotel toiletries, anyway, because they're so cute. I fall into the latter group and always have done. But, when suitcase space is at a premium, there are a few genius products worth swapping for that extra pair of shoes.

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. A priority, obviously, for the whole family but make sure you take plenty so you aren't tempted to skimp on it or risk running out. Boots' Soltan range is brilliant, offering great, broad spectrum UV protection at affordable prices. The new Soltan Once Face SPF15 or 25 (£7.99), for example, provides Five Star UVA protection and one application lasts for up to 6 hours. Look out, too, for the new NIVEA Sun Invisible Protection Spray SPF 10, 20 or 30 (£13.30), which is neither sticky or greasy. The children's range is great, also, and includes a NIVEA Sun Baby Lotion SPF50 (£10.99) which goes on very quickly and easily (great if you're got a wriggler!).

Soothe skin at the end of the day and sneakily enhance your sunkissed glow with one of beauty's great double acts: the aftersun tan prolonger. Before gradual tanners came along, I used Ambre Solaire's wonderful Aftersun Hydrating Tan Maintainer (¬£6.99). Use this, instead of your gradual tanner, when you need to cool and remoisturise skin after sun exposure and deepen your tan. Just remember to keep it to yourself and invest in a bumper bottle of regular, ‛non-tanning' aftersun for everyone else!

Consider going ‛unplugged' on holiday. Hotel hair dryers are far from ideal and, if you're in a tent, a daily blow-dry isn't even an option. Styling products that let you wash and go - without giving the rest of the family a fright come lunchtime - are worth their weight in gold. I recently discovered Toni & Guy's fab Label M Curl Cream (¬£9.95), which revives natural curls without a hint of crispiness. Combed through my hair after a T-section of highlights at my local Toni & Guy salon took me from blah to beach-tastic, all before the school run (visit www.toniandguy.com). Ask your hairdresser for advice on what product would work best for your hair texture and style on holiday. If you can't give up your straightening irons, check out the titchy new Remington Straightini (¬£29.99), which features ceramic, tourmaline and Teflon-coated plates at just 15 cm long (available at Boots nationwide).

Keep your holiday make-up bag light, in every sense. Tinted moisturisers are a cinch to apply and blend, provide instant radiance and, preferably, SPF protection, too. Just about every range has one, but one of the best is Bobbi Brown's Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm (£31.32, visit www.bobbibrown.co.uk). To cover up blemishes, birthmarks and suchlike (on the face or body), try Estée Lauder's Disappear Smoothing Crème Concealer (£23). I was introduced to this years ago by a top make-up artist who uses it a lot on beach and poolside photo shoots and, while it costs more than the many cheaper, very effective formulas, I've yet to find a one that beats it and the little tube lasts for ages. Sun protection, a sheer base, a slick of lip gloss - they don't come dinkier than Bourjois' oh-so-portable new Gloss Tonik (£3.42 each) - and you're gorgeous to go!

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