HAGS Mirage and the Edwin Jagger 3One6
Hello everyone, it’s time for another shave. Sun’s out, it’s warm, and I’ve got the best set for this kind of weather: HAGS Mirage. This set is with me again thanks to my buddy Brett. He ranks this as his top favorite set from HAGS, and coming from a guy who owns more variety than any wet shaving store probably does, that’s high praise. Fantastic set. I really love it. Spoiler alert: we’re going to talk a lot more about those scent notes. But before I get to the star of the show, I want to go off-topic for a second, because the actual star of the show is the razor: the 3One6 from Edwin Jagger, back in my hands again.
The Third 3One6
If you’ve been following the 3One6 shaves, this is the third razor in that line I’ve tried. The first one I borrowed from Brett: the gray one with the aluminum handle. I loved it so much I broke my buying freeze and picked up the stainless steel version, the one with the nice knurling on the handle. Unfortunately, it was defective. It wouldn’t thread together properly, so I sent it back, and it was the last one available in that finish. I decided not to replace it with anything else since that specific one was the one I liked.
Then Brett found this one, a version I didn’t even know existed: a blue resin handle. Turns out they make color variations in both aluminum and resin. I’m bringing this up because the deal on it was good enough that, thanks to Brett, I’ve got it back in my hands. I’d basically given up on owning the stainless steel version, but I couldn’t pass this one up. Shoutout to Brett, man. I appreciate it. I know you love this color, and I’m glad you didn’t grab it first, because it was the last one. No threading issues with this one either, so it’s staying in the collection and going into regular rotation.
HAGS Mirage: The Scent
Back to the soap, the real star of the show: Mirage. HAGS is an artisan out of Greece, run by Dimitrios, and he makes fantastic products across the board. All his bases are great. This one uses Cortex X, and the ingredient list on the back is packed with good stuff for your skin. The font’s tiny, so zoom in if you want to read through it yourself.
One thing I love about HAGS: the back of the label gives you the scent strength and the scent notes. Top notes here are mandarin, ginger, bergamot, and mint. Heart notes are pear and orange blossom. Base notes are musk, amber, and cedar.
Straight out of the container, I’d put the strength around 5.5 out of 10 for my nose, so it doesn’t hit as hard as that notes list might suggest. But once you lather it, that scent opens up and the strength ramps up fast. It’s beautiful.
For what it’s worth, HAGS describes Mirage as inspired by the scent profile of Art of Universe by Lattafa Perfumes. I haven’t smelled that one side by side, so I can’t tell you how close the two actually land, but if you’re into that fragrance, Mirage is worth a sniff.
Building the Lather
I’ve got it lathering in my Brousseau & Dov bowl already, with a few extra swirls in since it’s been sitting for a few minutes. Wonderful scent. Shiny lather, creamy and dense, with the low structure I like. I’m using my Trotter Handcrafts brush, a beautiful classic shape with a Mühle STF synthetic knot.
White lather in a white bowl doesn’t photograph great, but trust me on the consistency: it’s shiny, dense, exactly where I want it. HAGS bases pretty much always deliver on lather performance, whichever scent you pick.
I had about two and a half days of growth going into this one. It was shaping up to be a hot day, so I wet my face with colder water than usual, ready to get rid of all that stubble. Look at that consistency: I added a decent amount of water, and it could probably take more, but I was happy with where it landed.
Back to the scent for a second: clean, fresh, uplifting. For my nose, the ginger is what makes it stand out. It adds a playful layer to the whole blend. Fresh ginger on its own can read spicy, almost bitter, but here it leans sweet, probably from how it’s playing off the citrus. Wonderful scent. Feels luxurious on the face.
First Pass
I really like this 3One6 razor. On the handle balance: some of you mentioned after a past video that the aluminum handle makes the 3One6 feel head-heavy. This resin version balances closer to the stainless steel, maybe a touch lighter, but more even, so it doesn’t feel top-heavy the way the aluminum can. If that’s ever bothered you, this handle is the fix.
Residual slickness after the first pass is fantastic. Inside the razor I’ve got a Personna Comfort Coated blade. The resin handle is the most slippery of the three finishes I own, being smooth resin instead of metal, but it’s still comfortable. You can rest your pinky on the bottom, or choke up toward the head to balance it for detail work and buffing, and it never feels too slippery to control.
The 3One6 took care of most of the stubble in one pass, but I always go for a second to get to BBS.
Second Pass and Rinse
A few more swirls in the bowl for round two. The whole bathroom smells like Mirage at this point, though my nose goes a little scent-blind to it partway through the first pass. The second I re-lather and brush it back onto my face, that freshness hits again immediately. Really pleasant. This is one of those scents you can just zone out to and enjoy the shave. Residual slickness holds up through the second pass too, and I land in BBS territory without a fight.
After rinsing, there’s still plenty of lather left for a face wash, and it’s a good one: nice peaks, great feel afterward. All those ingredients on the label pay off.
The Splash
Time for the matching splash. I gave it a shake first. HAGS offers this one in both witch hazel and alcohol versions, so there’s an option either way you lean. I’m using the alcohol version, and there’s no tingle at all.
The Verdict
That shave was fantastic, and the scent is what’s sticking with me. I get why this is Brett’s new favorite HAGS. For citrus-forward HAGS soaps, the fresh, summery kind, this is my number one pick.
My all-time favorite HAGS scent overall is still Return of the Mean, the first version, not the second. That’s the one I reach for most, and it’s closer to running out even though there are still plenty of shaves left in it. But Mirage is perfect for a day like this: hot, sunny, no notes. You really can’t go wrong with it.
Gear for This Shave
Edwin Jagger 3One6 in the blue resin handle, HAGS Mirage soap and splash, my Trotter Handcrafts brush (the Archer shape, I believe, with the Mühle STF knot), Personna Comfort Coated blade, and the Brousseau & Dov bowl. Everything’s washed and put away, brush included. Don’t skip cleaning your gear after a shave.
Two and a half days of growth, zero irritation, zero problems, not even a tingle from the alcohol splash. The label on this one is worth a look too: there’s some kind of space scene going on, I don’t know exactly what it’s depicting, but it looks cool.
If you’re into fresh, summery citrus scents, grab this one. You won’t go wrong.
That’s all for this one. Thanks for joining me for this shave. I’ll see you in the next one. Until then, stay safe and enjoy smooth shaves.