St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse Review (and comparison to the St. Tropez Dark Self Tanning Mousse)

St. Tropez is my favorite brand of self tanners.  My biggest gripe about self tanners is the odor they create when the color develops, but the St. Tropez mousses with their "Aromaguard" technology (whatever that means) seem to not smell on me.  I reviewed the dark self tanning mousse here, and thought I would review the regular to compare the two.

St. Tropez says:
What is it? 
This super-lightweight, easy-to-apply, velvety mousse delivers that ultra-even all-over tan you’ve always wanted. Simply sweep on with an Applicator Mitt for a beautiful even tan. 

Who is it for? 
Our best-selling product is perfect for anyone looking to get a natural-looking, streak-free golden tan that dries in an instant. Whether you’re a first-time tanner or a total pro, our tinted formula will ensure you know where to apply your tan for a perfect application, everytime. 

Why is it different? 
Infused with conditioning aloe vera and long-lasting color, our innovative Aromaguard™ fragrance technology eliminates the tell-tale self tan aroma by a minimum of 70% and instead gives a beautiful subtle, yet refreshing fragrance. Never orange, St Tropez Tan always gives a beautiful, golden color.

You want to shake the bottle well to mix the guide color in with the self tanner, put some on your hand or the mitt (which I highly recommend), and then apply it in small circular motions being sure to blend it in well.  The guide color for this self tanner is a nice, light brown (very different than the green color of the dark mousse).  It gives a natural looking color, even before the color develops.  Again, this leaves me sticky for about 30 minutes.  The (fairly strong) sort of tropical scent is has during application is not as strong as the dark mousse.

(this is how the mitt looks after use and washing)

This formula doesn't claim to have the same formulation that "contains innovative melanin technology that ensures your tan is tailored to your individual skin tone" that the darker formulation has.  

The color this develops to is a lovely light tan on me after one application.  The dark formula does give me more color, but not by much.

left: St. Tropez Dark Self Tanning Mousse
right: St. Tropez Self Tanning Mousse
(after one application of each)

This gives me a beautiful, natural color and doesn't create that self tanner odor either.  Layering this for a darker color is very easy, and the color never turns orange.  You can layer this after the first "coat" has finished drying, or wait until the next day.

This is great for a very believable, not at all orange tan.

This is their best-selling self tanner and is $42 for 8 oz.