Bruce PIF'd me the remainder of his bottle of Pashana AS, which has a few uses left on it. I used it today, and here are my thoughts.
First and foremost, this is strong smelling stuff. If you like aftershaves that hang around all day, and double as your cologne..... this is right up your alley. It's very woody and masculine smelling. Scented with essential oils of Patchouli, Sandalwood, Cedar wood and Rosemary. I'll say that the most up front fragrance is Sandalwood, tempered with a bit of Cedar, but not too much. I hate cedars that are too heavy, a little cedar goes a long way. I wouldn't say I can smell any Patchouli, by itself, but there is something blended into the Sandalwood that you just get hints of in the background, that makes it a nice blended scent, and not just a Sandalwood fragrance. Can't say I detect any Rosemary at all.
Now, at first sniff, I was immediately put into the mindset of Vintage Avon aftershaves. If you are familiar with some of the more "cologney" Avon scents like Tribute, Excalibur, and Oland, you know that they all share a similar smelling base. Many Avon scents are similar to me, maybe utilizing the same base, but then taking off in a different direction, but definitely all in the same wheelhouse. Pashana smells like it could be an Avon scent, that started in that same base, but just went off in a different direction. Side by side with the 4 previously mentioned Avon scents, you definitely notice similarities and pick up common notes. I can also detect a faint similarity with Avon's Windjammer, Bravo, and Leather. But of all the Avon's, it is closest to Tribute. They are very close cousins.
Another thing that Avon aftershaves have in common with Pashana, is the scent strength and longevity. It is made with essential oils, so the scent is really pure smelling. It's 3 hours after application, and smells as strong as when I first applied it. And I didn't use my normal amount either. You can use it sparingly, and it will still get the job done, at least in regard to scent. I still felt myself wanting to apply much more, for the post shaving aspects. But I fear if I used as much as I wanted to, I would be wearing this scent for a week, from one application! Part of the reason for wanting to apply more was the drydown was incredibly fast. Quicker than just about anything I've ever used.
Now, I could be happy using this every day as a signature scent. I do like it that much. The one thing that would prevent me from doing this is the price. It seems to be a staple in Shaving Shops in the UK, where it is made. But it does not appear to be currently stocked by any shops in the US. The only place I have found it for sale is Amazon or Ebay, and with shipping costs $25 or more per bottle. That's pretty steep. I'd be totally in for around $10 (for a 3.4 oz bottle), which is close to the retail price in the UK.
Now, being that it is relatively close to Tribute, and some other Avon AS, I'd be more inclined to just purchase those from Antique Stores, which can be had for $2-$5 for a 6-8oz bottle. That is a much better value for a 90% solution.
If I were to purchase Pashana, I may just use it as a cologne. I think it definitely has the strength to be a cologne on it's own. That would make it last longer and help make the value better in the long run.
Bottom Line: Pashana is a great, masculine scent that has amazing longevity. If this sounds interesting, I'd recommend picking some up, and I'm sure you'd like it. If It was more readily available, at a better price, I'd be all in. If you want to see what it is about, without the expense, try out some Avon Tribute. This will tell you what wheelhouse it is in. If you like that, I will say that, as of right now, I believe Pashana is even better.
This does make me want to revisit my Avon Aftershaves a bit more and see if I can maybe mix a few to come up with something that smells even closer to Pashana. I only did bottle sniffs to compare, so I really need to get the Avon back on my skin for a proper comparison.
