Pi (1999)
by Givenchy

I am a fan of powdery sweet scents but I found GIVENCHY PI to be too synthetic for my taste. Perhaps it was too difficult to achieve just the right balance with the benzoin crystals, resulting in a blend that is creamy but somewhat bland. And there really is no vanilla in here. Vanilla to me is always vibrant yet this element is noticeably missing from Pi. Still I can appreciate how easily the sweetness could have been misconstrued. And as pretty as the bottle may be, Pi simply has no chance of displacing Arpege pour Homme from my wardrobe.

Pi is a very sweet fragrance, but I don't find it overly so; I've tried far sweeter (A*men comes to mind). It also has acquired somewhat of a reputation for being a vanilla overload, but I also don't believe this to be the case. Vanilla is prominently featured, but I think the pyramid describes Pi fairly accurately; it starts out with a blast of citrus over the vanilla, and as the fragrance dries down, wood takes the place of the citrus notes and complements the vanilla. Pi is excellent in cold weather; admittedly, it does seem a bit on the synthetic side, and far better vanilla scents (Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, etc.) exist. However, for the price range it's in, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a much better vanilla-based fragrance.

Might work as an air freshener or range of scented candles but does not impress me as a men's EDT. I do not want to smell like vanilla ice cream dipped in alcohol. Not one to wear in summer when all the insects are flying around, looking for a sweet treat.

overly sweet and synthetic !
a shame

This one is ok in my book. At the time of its release, it did bring something different to the table.

I disagree with this one smelling like "caramel," or heavy in the vanilla department. There is no vanilla in this fragrance, its actually benzoin.

The opening isn't all that impressive to me, but once it dries down a bit, the middle and basenotes are where this one gets good. It is a tad sweet, but I wear Gaultier^2 and this isn't nearly as sweet as that one. This is a bit more classy that G^2. G^2 is vanilla, Pi is not.
Great every once in a while, but I could warm up to wearing it more often.

Good quality, decent longevity and sillage is average.
Thumbs up.

EDP review:

Oh, how I've come a long way from owning a bottle of this...

For someone who's relatively new to fragrances, Pi will very much appeal. However, the truth is that it's not really a vanilla scent in the slightest – it’s more a synthetic mess, containing a very large quantity of benzoin. It smells horribly waxy, with coconut and caramel-esque accords struggling to cover-up that fact that the whole composition smells absolutely dreadful. Ultimately, Pi is a fake vanilla scent for the uninitiated, with reasonable sillage and longevity.

‘But, if Pi is really awful, what else is there available that I can investigate?’ I hear you ask. Well, the problem is, if you really want a decent vanilla fragrance you’ll have to pay a bit more extra for it. How much extra is entirely up to you. The following are vanilla dominant fragrances I feel everyone should test at least once – there are many other great alternatives available but these are the ones that immediately spring to mind:

Guerlain – Heritage EDP (vintage formulation)
Guerlain – Spiritueuse Double Vanille
Montale – Vanille Absolu
Montale – Boise Vanille
Profumum Roma – Vanitas
Serge Lutens – Un Bois Vanille

I can guarantee you that, once you’ve smelt these, your perception of Pi will never be the same again – the time to remove your blindfold has finally come.

Now, go forth and sniff…