01/03/2022

Elysium
877 Reviews

Elysium
Top Review
13
A Journey To Mars And Beyond
I am an elderly boy, and I belong to the generation that was 34 years old in 1998. I recollect Pi very well when it came out on the market. At that time, sweet-smelling perfumes weren’t my favourites, and Pi, in its original formulation, was intrusive, overwhelming, opulent. It belongs to those perfumes that fill the room you are in, and leave an immense trail around and behind you. It was intoxicating! I had smelled it for the first time on a colleague. It imbued the smallish room where we took the coffee with the smell of this resinous, honeyed, amber perfume. Although the bouquet teased me, I never bought it because I was afraid it might disgust me. So, I ignored it until a few years ago when I came across a convenient bottle. If I have never dared to buy the original, too powerful and offensive, the recent version is more graceful, yet the bouquet is as I remembered it.
Pi is one of the best resinous fragrances I know, very spicy and not too edible. And Pi is more than a name, it is a symbol. Most people associate the Greek symbol with the number got by dividing the circumference of a circle by its diameter, often shortened to figure 3.14, but it also means heaven in the Chinese idiom; and it is also the beginning of the noun pioneer. The reddish colour of the juice makes me think of Mars, the red planet par excellence, and I like to imagine the atmosphere of Mars that smells like this. A refined oriental and woody fragrance, the opening of Pi gives me a delicious powdery vanilla aura, with some light herbaceous notes of tarragon, rosemary and basil leaves. I get a blend of a fresh, light citrus scent, a tasty sweet note of tangerine and lemon, which lifts the opening without making it too tart. The initial burst is more aromatic than citrus, with green and floral undertones, plus medicinal and herbaceous, perhaps rosemary, pine needles and a hint of anise contribute to that sensation.
It has that slightly pungent flavour at first, but then the heart gets sweeter and spicier, with a hint of aniseed, sweet pelargonium, and mellifluous neroli. The central phase features a mysterious Infinium note, which I can’t find a trace of on the web no matter how hard I’ve tried. I perceive a kind of nutty undertone that oozes after the flavorful opening has subsided, presumably coming from the bitter almond.
But the best side lives in the dry-down. A strong woody aroma, which fuses dry cedar with ironwood, tons of resinous benzoin and a fairly evident note of vanilla and tonka. The latter is rich but quite refined and understated, fading gracefully. The output is like a warm bath of caramel, brown sugar and vanilla aromas that has a simply divine scent. To me, Pi is a benzoin bomb, more than a vanilla bomb. The dense trail it leaves behind is warm, waxy, tender and rubbery, like myrrh and other precious crystalline resins.
For me, this fragrance is perfect for the cold months of November to February, for winter days with grass covered in fairly crystallized morning dew with a beautiful sun shining, or for lively nights. Just like Obsession for Men Eau de Toilette which I love to wear at that time of year. With this reformulated release, I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and magnificent longevity on my skin. A true 90s perfume that is still relevant today. I like Pi’s modern composition, which is powerful without being overwhelming.
I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since 2018.
-Elysium
Pi is one of the best resinous fragrances I know, very spicy and not too edible. And Pi is more than a name, it is a symbol. Most people associate the Greek symbol with the number got by dividing the circumference of a circle by its diameter, often shortened to figure 3.14, but it also means heaven in the Chinese idiom; and it is also the beginning of the noun pioneer. The reddish colour of the juice makes me think of Mars, the red planet par excellence, and I like to imagine the atmosphere of Mars that smells like this. A refined oriental and woody fragrance, the opening of Pi gives me a delicious powdery vanilla aura, with some light herbaceous notes of tarragon, rosemary and basil leaves. I get a blend of a fresh, light citrus scent, a tasty sweet note of tangerine and lemon, which lifts the opening without making it too tart. The initial burst is more aromatic than citrus, with green and floral undertones, plus medicinal and herbaceous, perhaps rosemary, pine needles and a hint of anise contribute to that sensation.
It has that slightly pungent flavour at first, but then the heart gets sweeter and spicier, with a hint of aniseed, sweet pelargonium, and mellifluous neroli. The central phase features a mysterious Infinium note, which I can’t find a trace of on the web no matter how hard I’ve tried. I perceive a kind of nutty undertone that oozes after the flavorful opening has subsided, presumably coming from the bitter almond.
But the best side lives in the dry-down. A strong woody aroma, which fuses dry cedar with ironwood, tons of resinous benzoin and a fairly evident note of vanilla and tonka. The latter is rich but quite refined and understated, fading gracefully. The output is like a warm bath of caramel, brown sugar and vanilla aromas that has a simply divine scent. To me, Pi is a benzoin bomb, more than a vanilla bomb. The dense trail it leaves behind is warm, waxy, tender and rubbery, like myrrh and other precious crystalline resins.
For me, this fragrance is perfect for the cold months of November to February, for winter days with grass covered in fairly crystallized morning dew with a beautiful sun shining, or for lively nights. Just like Obsession for Men Eau de Toilette which I love to wear at that time of year. With this reformulated release, I get moderate sillage, excellent projection and magnificent longevity on my skin. A true 90s perfume that is still relevant today. I like Pi’s modern composition, which is powerful without being overwhelming.
I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since 2018.
-Elysium
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