Reviews of Pi (1999)
by Givenchy

I just love this stuff. I know it's for men, but I tried it because I had to know what someone thought Pi smelled like, and it was really awesome on me. At first the citrus came on a bit strong and I wasn't sure it suited, but within minutes it had dried down to this warm, sweet, really sexy smell. I know it doesn't say anything about vanilla but I agree--this does have a vanilla smell. I am also surprised that there is allegedly pine in it, because I'm usually allergic to pine, and I'm not allergic to this; and my friend, who is also allergic to pine didn't react to the smell of it on me.

I'm sure this smells wonderful on many men, but I'm a woman and it's absolutely delicious on me too. I can't resist this Pi, I want a whole one.

Absolutely beautiful! Too sweet? That's fine. I got a sweet tooth! This is just one of the nicest, sweetest, and warmest fragrance I've ever smelled. It smells edible, really. I smell Pi and I don't think of pie, but it definetely smells like some kind of pastry. Something baked. No doubt it's one of the best gourmands ever.

An extraordinary fragrance. A pompous bottle. Magic is not that expensive and what this frag does to me is pure magic.
The beginning is so in-my face blow of grass and flowers. Basil !! Beautiful. And there is terragon to make me even more amused.
The citrus note composes a bittersweet tension that a few minutes later culminates in a sugary almond and vanilla please-suck-me finale. This is what erotica, magic and a fragrance can do and PI is sooo hard to beat when it comes down to pure pleasures. In my personal perfume book PI is only the second (out of thirty so far) with A*Men the other, being five-starred.

Pi is all about those benzoin crystals, and to be honest, I can`t smell those supporting notes very well at all. Perhaps a slight touch of citrus and herbs at the top, but then it`s just the sweet smell of benzoin with only a gentle touch of woods. Smells like a mixture of vanilla, burnt sugar and bitter almond. I find drydown to be very airy, luminous, mysterious(!) and certainly intoxicating.
So I`m a great fan, although I can see why some people find it too sweet and simple. I have also used EdP version of this, but surprisingly that didn`t satisfy me as well as the EdT….As EdP is a bit richer and woodier, it isn`t that much fun or delicious, and to me that`s what Pi is all about : Yumminess with great room for imagination as well.

Luca Turin said this is a “ sweet nothing “. I say “ space vanilla “, and I suppose if I did use some sort of hallucination drugs, then Pi would be a great companion.

Btw, if you like this, try to get some Pi shower gel as well. It`s quite amazing

This one is ok in my book. At the time of its release, it did bring something different to the table. It is a light vanilla and wood fragrance...at least that is what I can conclude from it.
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.
Great every once in a while, but I couldn't imagine wearing it on the daily. I think many people would get sick of it fairly quickly..the same as wearing G^2 everyday; it really just can't be done.
Good quality and a gem of creativity. Decent longevity and sillage is average.
Thumbs up.

My god the stuff is ambrosia. If you like vanilla or sweet florals, you haven't lived until you have this bottle. A collection without this stuff is hobbled and incomplete.

By the by... regarding the fragrance notes.... I don't mean to be curmudgeonly but...

wood is not magnetic.

OK, I've spoken my peace. Buy Pi by Givenchy, don't expect wood to move when you place a magnet beside it, and your universe will be correct!

(Can I give this two thumbs up? Three? Wow... I want to kiss the Frenchman who stirred this one up...)

Well, it's vanilla and a little spice, and that's about it. Honestly, it's a nice winter scent, and although it's not very complex, it is nice. My wife absolutely loves this on me, and I've gotten compliments about it before, so I can't really complain about it.

Top notes are very spicy and green, but it dries down very quickly to pure vanilla with a touch of cinnamon in the background. Very sweet.

Sweet, but not cloying. The fragrance that screams "Gourmand!" and means it. The top notes are nice, and tend to blend over the vanilla, covering it just a bit. The dry down is straight up vanilla and very mellow. I like the fact that this is sort of intense at first application and then mellow toward the end, works great for a day at work. The only issue is, that since the fragrance is so sweet people who tend to apply heavy amounts will make people around them queasy.

I am on the I love Pi side. As a woman, I see a man wearing this fragrance as a caring, sweet and loving individual (given the light sweetness of the fragrance), although always true to his manly nature ( and here comes the woody part of it). I do not find it so over the top sweet as many have complained here, but, I guess, you have to have a sweet tooth ( which I do) in order to be a fan.

I sprayed a tester of Pi on my hand and twenty minutes later I smelled my hand and almost wanted to eat it. Pi smells delicious, and works perfectly on my skin. Somehow Pi stays masculine enough for me to love it. An excellent scent indeed.

If you like the vanillic scents, Givenchy Pi is a must-have!

It starts out with a little bit of citrus, but dries down to layers upon layers of vanilla. I originally found the sillage to be a little weak, but upon reapplication, realized it was DARN good. Lasts for at least eight hours on me... last but not least, the bottle. One of the most unique bottles out there!

Thumbs up from me.

a really sweet, soft and warm scent. it reminds me of candy. A really fun scent!

The biggest problem isn't that there is too much vanilla in this fragrance, but rather that sometimes it seems that's the only thing there is. However, I still think it's a good fragrance with a great potential that hasn't been used at it's maximum level. This scent is right on the edge of becoming cloyingly sweet, but it manages to stay on the safe side. It's the sweetest bearable and enjoyable perfume. It's warmth not only makes it proper for winter, but actually it's the only season in which you can wear it. Any attempt to wear this perfume in the summer will result in the intoxication of those near you... it's that sweet! However, for colder days this is a good choice.

this would smell great on a lovely lady, but i like it too...its warm and mysterious

Too strong for me, the opening makes me want to sneeze! Vanilla thru and thru, and boy it is sweet. Lasts a very long while. If like me the opening is too 'sneezy', consider Rochas Man, it's very similar yet a lot easier on the nose.

Love, love, love this on my husband.
It's the first thing I smell as he goes off to work and the last thing I smell at night.It lasts all day on him!
It's cosy, sexy, reassuring and very addictive.

It starts bit strong and too sweet but give it a good 15 minutes and then it gets really good. It has sweet vanilla scent without being too strong and nice woody bottom. Wouldn't wear it daily but it best for those "special" moments. One of my friend even said that she wants to lick my neck because of this parfume. I love it and they love it. Two thumbs up!

This would smell great on a female.
Almond-extract type smell, very soft, very pleasant.

The initial burst is very mossy.. The perfume lady who was trying to sell me ADG. Described it as "musky". It isnt as musky as it is musty. The oakmoss and the wood are on the top. Along with an orange note mixed with the vanilla makes it a little funky at first... give it a few hours and at least on my skin it smells of vanilla and benzoin. To be honest it is like a refined Vanilla extract smell. My baby loves it and so do I...

Dear Givenchy Pi,

I love you. I have wonderful memories every time I put you on and your warm and enveloping scent is a comfort with every turn. Other people love you too, as can be witnessed by the compliments you receive when we are together.
Whenever I want something familiar that harkens back to some wonderful times, I turn to you. For that, I thank you.

Yours truly,
Robbie

What more can be said? Best described as warm-sensual-vanilla-sweetness; didn't turn very powdery on my skin. The ambery color of the juice really matches the character of the scent itself IMO. By the number of compliments I've received from women I have reached the consensus that this is one of the better colognes to be wearing when one is seeking another form of "Pi".

Yeah, its nice enough.

Warm, soft, powdery vanilla. Very easy to wear.

Nice and comfortable.

Not an out-and-out vanilla; its got a lot of woody-mossy-powdery tones to it, from start to finish.

Doesn't evolve a lot, but it does a bit.

One basenote-er hinted that it was trying to be Jaipur pour Homme. Well, I agreed at first, it does share certain warm, powdery characteristics with Jaipur, but the more I think about it, the less reconcilable the two become.

I used to use Jaipur, which I love, but gives me a good-aweful headache. So I swiched to this, and got a LOT more compliments, from both sexes.

ive had this fragance about three times. I like the sweet-woody smell of it and it also feel real good on the skin; i guess thats because of the benzoin in it. Even though i like it very much i use it on very special occassion and not on a daily basis pretty much depending on the weather that day.

Sexy, definitely... It has the sweet vanilla part, of course, which puts me off part of the time. BUT the sweetness is counterbalanced by a smell (or a combination of them) that I'm very fond of but can't properly describe since I don't know its name. It's a very fresh and delicious smell. A "substanceless" one - unlike other smells that I associate with colors, this one I associate with transparency, or the distortion thing that hot turbulent air rising from asphalt does to light. It also reminds me of how human skin smells after shower. I think it's part of the charm of Dolce & Gabbana By Man, as well. Part of it's "smells like sex" appeal. Maybe it's the benzoin, or maybe not. I have absolutely no idea as to what benzoin is.

I have two female victims that I regularly ask opinions about my new scents. First reaction of both of them, independently: "Is this the same fragrance you wore yesterday?" I had been wearing The Dreamer by Versace, which indeed does contain the same substanceless accord I descrived above, but in a more rounded fashion, as if trying to hide behind the flowers. (Whereas in D&G By, it's more like "in your face".) The second reaction: "It's pretty good."

This is the only cologne I wear. Givenchy PI has a unique "sweet-vanilla-sugar" smell. I wish I could find something else like it.

I've had girls I know tell me they would love this "lick" this off. That must mean something is right about it. Lovely smell from Givenchy.

I tested this today and bought it which I will get for Christmas.

I still can't stop smelling the tester card! Love this stuff and the bottle is all class.

I got this for my husband and now I can't stay out of it, so even though I usually don't wear men's colognes, this one, I think could be unisex. The vanilla is heavenly. I haven't talked to a woman yet of any age who has not loved this on a man. A spicy oriental. Very new smelling, not the typical citrus burst.

After finishing 4 bottles I'm stating the obvious. Heavy, sweet, very good longevity and sillage - all what I look for in a fragrance. This is the only Givenchy I've had and I have no need (yet) to get any other from this house. I'd like to have this in my wardrobe all the time, but after joining BN there are so many others I HAVE to try :-)

Wonderful smell..great longevity, great for summer(smells even longer), but winter, due to the warm feelings it brings, making you long for holiday traditions..women love it(it could even be unisex)..and it's cheap!

-A Class Act

One of the few sweet scents I like. It does smell edible much like a creme brulee but it is not cloying such as amen or other similar scents. Nice sweet vanilla note plus that addicting Benzoin. Women adore this one the most.

Personally, I prefer the EdP over the EdT – it’s slightly more woody, richer and less synthetic smelling than the common EdT version. And, yes, you’ll need to be EVEN MORE careful on the trigger!

Yummy, yum, yum…

My boyfriend is a huge fan, and I can sure see why -- it's positively EDIBLE. Definitely NOT for those who don't like gourmand fragrances at all, though, as the vanilla and benzoin together make it almost like a yummy pastry of sorts. Another win for Givenchy.

Simple, inspiring vanilla fragrance with a masculine sensually fresh woody touch.You cannot go wrong with this one-like with any other Givenchy fragrance.You'll feel unique.I love it and consider buying it next to Very Irresistible:)

Very sweet oriental. This one seems to be mostly linear on me, being dominated by vanilla yet with a slightly woody accord. Even though I hardly find myself reaching for this one it still gets a thumbs up as it is one of the better "sweet" fragrances.

This is my favorite fragrance.
Pi is a refined, oriental, woody fragrance with a note of vanilla.
This fragrance is great in every aspect (longevity,scent,versatility) and can be used for any occasion (casual/formal wear). You can't go wrong with this fragrance. Highly recommended. Two thumbs up !!!!.

Fantastic for people with a sweet tooth.When i first wore it i thought i was going to kill people with its strong, vanillic sillage, but it turns out i had the right chemestry and i got tons of compliments from it and later on, the drydown won me over at last. After the initial, surprisingly fresh start, the sweetness creeps in, wether you like it or not and that is some "magnetic wood" they list, it's soft and almost like the smell of balsam wood. The benzoin base makes it all worth it as all the notes seem to rest calmly on it. Lasts a long time.

Smells like some really good ice cream. Can get a little strong. Verry verry sweet.

Despite the the fragrance pyramid, anyone with a nose knows this has vanilla predominately in it. I guess they didnt list it because so many complain of vanilla boredom.We are not the typical consumers.What the ---- is magnetic wood. Anyway, for whatever reason, I didnt intially perceive vanilla as the dominant note in this.I t seemed full of sandalwood. Maybe because I had been sniffing on sandalwood extract at that time.It was th e first scent I could pick up in any scent.If you overdose yourself on a scent, you will be sore to catch it out of many.

I was given this by a woman from Japan. She wore it more then I did. Years later, I have rediscovered it, so to speak. And the vanilla and pineapple notes are really more unique then I remember. One of my favorates. CA, USA

Like Joop!, Π was another scent I avoided for years because of its ‘reputation.’ Another mistake. This is an outstanding fragrance—it is citric and floral and woody and aromatic and sweet. I don’t find the sweetness at all off-putting; in fact I don’t find it nearly as sweet as many people here claim. The sweetness has been masculinized, and it is well within the realms of tolerability. As simple as Π is, it is an addictive scent, really—it must be that ‘magnetic wood’ that attracts me. Π has a unique exuberant warmth. I’m certainly happy I tried this, I’ll be even happier wearing it on special occasions.

This stuff rules. I tried it based on so many favorable reviews and could not be happier. It lasts all day long unlike so many others scents I own and just smells so rich and creamy. The scent does not change much throughout the day but that's fine by me. A real winner!

I love this scent. Wonderful for winter, girls love it. Warm, sweet, makes girls want to get closer to you, just smells awesome. Tt lasts, too. The END.

I went out to a shopping centre after church and went to the department store that was moving. Went to the discounted perfumes, found Pi and sprayed once on my hand, and it opened pretty generic, IMO. However, the Midnotes were horrible. I took a gamble and bought it anyways, since it was so cheap. Half an hour later I smelt my hand, and it was magic! Quite sweet and vanillic. I didn't want to wash my hand afterwards!

I really like this fragrance, but I don't find it as strong as many of the other reviewers do. It has a wonderful soft sweetness to it (initially) that dries into a slightly woodier, more complex mixture. I don't find it as heavy of a vanilla overdose as many others do (maybe just my skin chemistry) and it easily has the most attractive bottle going these days. I got a great deal on this on-line, and have not been disappointed in it at all.

Yummy, warm and vanilla. The only sweet-smelling fragrance I allow myself to wear. Super strong, lasts all day (careful with that atomizer, Eugene) Another great one from Givenchy.

Classic yet daring and somewhat(in the good sense of the word) eccentric evening wear-scent.
Classy and pricy exclusive Oriental notes mingled with warm woody and spicy features.

My initial impressions of Pi were the same as teflondog's - this smells so edible, "Pie" would have made more sense. Personally, I don't find the vanilla to be overpowering; in fact, I find it smells fairly different from vanilla, as vanilla-based scents usually bore me. Rather, the woodsy heart note compliments the the sweetness to creat an incredibly warm fragrance. Oh, and this has the greatest longevity I have ever encountered in a fragrance by far. Whenever I wear Pi, it's usually not until my second shower that I can no longer pick up on it. I have never had problems with over-application of this myself, as I usually don't spray more than 2-3 times depending on the fragrance, but I can see how one spritz too many could breed contempt; two sprays of this beast should be enough for anyone.

Aside from Joop! Pour Homme, this is the sweetest scent I've ever encountered. It should have been named 'Pie' because that's what it smells like to me. It's easy to describe this one since it's a straightforward scent. It smells like tons of vanilla stacked on top of caramel. It doesn't get any more simple than that. If you have a sweet tooth for fragrances, this one will satisfy it without a doubt. However, just make sure to go light with the trigger finger because it can get cloying like no other.

The sweetest thang since my wife, supersweet yet strong enough for a man to wear, and smell good and get lot's of complements.

I was sitting on the train the other day when a woman stepped on smelling absolutely incredible. Both my friend and I were wowed and we had to ask her what she was wearing. Yep, it was Pi. An absolute vanilla lover's dream. This is one of my all time favorite men's scents and will likely always will be. Perfect in every way, form lasting power to sillage...Love it!

Pi is a great overall fragrance. It has a good mix of citrus and vanilla to begin with, then it fades down into a nice vanilla scent. It also has great staying power (works over 10 hours for me). You only need one spray of this stuff, it is potent. Strong recommendation if you like sweet scents.

In small doses this stuff is teh lady killa.
For me, no other scent captures the feel of winters better. However, Pi can make you sick if not rotated regularly.

one of the best, my second in command signatire cologne next to angel. I now have pi, angel, very irresistable, candies, cool water, styletto[rare fm brazil], and nightflight. pi is one of the most erotic of them all and is my woman seducer scent of the night.

Made for a man but I like it too - it's one of my husband's signature scents but I find myself craving it every so often as well, primarily due to its profusion of benzoin, one of my favorite of all notes. (I've been known to wear straight benzoin essential oil, that's how much I love it.) There is not a women's scent I can think of that features so much unadulterated (by florals, incenses, etc) benzoin as Pi, so I wear it occasionally - it's lovely in the dead of winter - to get my fix. The topnotes are masculine enough, IMO, to remind me that I am in fact wearing a men's scent; I get a decent dose of basil and pine needle in the opening, and both stick around through the progression of the scent into its sweet, warm woody-resiny heart/base. It's a classic scent, I think, so different from just about everything else out there (though if you've ever smelled S.T. Dupont Signature for Men - which includes basil, pepper, birch, cedar, citrus, incense and amber - it comes somewhat close to this) and utterly fantastically smelling on my husband, who pulls off warm and resiny scents very well. A very definite thumbs up.

Picked this one up today at Macy's. Actually I accidentally sprayed myself with it, made a different purchase and went shopping for other things. About 30 minutes later I went back and bought this as well. Love the bottle. But more than that I love the scent. A fairly warm, semi-sweet fragrance. Someone on here described it as "rich and smooth" I certaily can see that as well. However, I can not see using this one as daily scent. I don't know how well it would work at the office or in warmer weather. Also, I don't even know about it at formal occasions. I see this as more of a "romantic" type of fragrance. I think it would certainly be good for dating during the winter months. Oh, and if you do try it on date...make sure you already know the girl because I feel there is no middle of the road for this scent...she will either love it or absolutely hate it. If you go easy on the spraying, I feel that she will most likely not hate it. So, all in all I very good, very unusual scent, but one that I feel is limited in its application purposes. Therefore, if you are looking for ONE scent to use all the time I would probably look further. But, if you collect (and if you do, how can you pass up the bottle anyway?) or if you have "specialized scents" then this one would make a nice addition.

The first serious fragrance I've explored. It is rather sweet, but on myself I get an almost leathery vanilla instead of "girlie" vanilla. I would say this is a great fragrance for the 18-30 year old age group. Perfect scent to wear with a sweater on a cold winter night under a nice leather coat.

WOW what a great men's perfume. It really takes a different sort of man to wear this scent, its so sexy and romantic, but confident at the same time. I love the softness of this scent on a man. I am considering purchasing a bottle just so I can take a whiff every now and then!

I have a few fragrances and this is the one I get most good comments on from women. Personally I would use it occasionally and very subtle as it is very very sweet. Sometimes I get nervous about it's smell, certainly in hot and sweaty environments that I hate it ;)

Very sweet, but mixed incredibly with woods what produces a wonderful smell! Strong and despite of the sweetness, very masculine!
A "new" classic, for sure! Just don't overspray...

I'm not a collection guy. I choose one scent as my signature after careful sampling and then I immerse myself in its forms. Pi has been my signature scent for the last three years. I love it. It's distinctive, warm, comfortable and pleasant. Everybody in my life who means anything to me also likes it. Don't get the wrong idea. I don't want you to run out and buy it. It's MY scent. I don't care how many rubes describe it as too feminine, too sweet, too vanillin or too whatever. I hope you twist your nose as I walk past. Pi makes me feel like a million bucks, and the positive feedback I get generally comes from people who exhibit "class."

First of all, what a funky bottle, so it adds a bit to the rating. Still a full thumbs up without it though. It's not as sweet as people describe, but sweet enough to pass of as a women's cologne. They should have marketed this as a uni-sex scent, since women love it too. I'm one of the few guys that doesn't need to smell like wood, tobacco, and spice all the time to establish my masculinity. This one is a good way of showing you have a sensitive side, it's warm, sweet, and quite sophisticated. Oddly enough, never once did I smell citrus in this; it's more of a floral fragrance. As for the "magnetic wood" part, I won't go with my own interpretation of that since it's rather X-rated, but let's just say, it works, because women tend to love vanilla-ish scents. Cuddle-time galore! Recommended for evening use. Personally, I like to use it during Spring/Summer, since it combines with warm air nicely without resulting into one of those heady, dizzying scents that some colognes become (Fahrenheit + hot weather = passing out, either from the smell, or people beating you for the smell). Don't over spray though; subtletly is this scent's asset.

This one has such a delicious vanilla aroma to it. Rather than use the mathematical symbol, Givenchy should have put a picture of a "pie" on the box cover. Very edible smelling. For the most part it stays the same from application to drydown. The vanilla smell is very,very smooth. Im shocked to see vanilla isn't one of the notes in this fragrance! I personally like the original (yellow) version better. Pi blue's a bit too light and loses a bit of the exoticness of the original. It should become a classic.

This one is very unique, never smelled anything like it, women like it a lot. When i first bought this fragrance, i didn't like it very much, but now it grew on me, it seems to smell better each time you put it on, and then it just hit me, now i think it's one of the best fragrances out there.

Pi was a "fragrance gamble" I ordered online before actually smelling it, after reading favourable reviews on Basenotes as well as elsewhere on the Net. When I first opened the order, I took a whiff of Pi and I was immediately reminded of Coty Musk for Men, which was one of my favourite fragrances when I was very young. As I got to know the fragrance a bit better, though, I noticed definite differences.
On my skin, Pi is a rich, sweet, and smooth fragrance, which at times has reminded me of either hot buttered popcorn or hot caramel corn. (Yes, it's an unusual comparison, but a valid one nonetheless.) It also exudes a palpable amount of musk and vanilla; the overall feeling is quite warm, enticing, and "creamy." Although I haven't worn it on many dates, I definitely see this as one which would radiate a comforting and romantic feeling. It's not an absolute favourite, but I still really enjoy and recommend Pi.

I love 'pi' and loved it from the get go. Walked into Harrods in '99 and this great, warm, sensual scent waft over me. Harrods was introducing the fragrance and I bought it as well as the spray deodorant and have loved it ever since. I love the fresh and warm combination. I sometimes combine it with others ie: Roccabar (I know it sounds awful, but it kind of "perks" it up a bit). But on its own, I find this one of the great modern day scents.