Shay & Blue Framboise Noire - Yummy Darkness

by: Miguel Matos

Let me show you something I really love to eat:

Now that I provided you with such important and meaningful information about me, let's move to something related to that. Following the latest reviews I wrote, I suddenly realized that I am exploring unusual gourmand or sweet fruity fragrances without really planning it. It's not my style at all, but there is a lot to learn by moving away from our comfort zone. And I have found pleasure in this, especially after the 3 scents I am going to point out. After Lalique's Or Intemporel, I have also been wearingStendhal's Rouge Divin (that I am saving for the next review) and Shay and Blue's Framboise Noire, which is the subject of this article.

Framboise Noire (2015) is one of the newest launches from British niche label Shay and Blue, signed, as usual in this house, by perfumer Julie Masse. When I was reading the comments of our members on Fragrantica I began to be interested in this. The polarizing opinions varied from those who love it:

“This was much darker than I expected but it really suits it's name well. It is absolutely a dark raspberry, and it reminds me of these Norwegian jelly candy-skulls with half side raspberry flavor and other half licorice. YUMM! I look forward to wearing this this fall and smelling it on my scarves. So warm and comforting yet dark and sexy!” - jenvi

To those who dislike it:

“There's no leaf or tree branches here. At the beginning the sweetness is less obvious because of the large shot of oud but as it dries down oud vanishes and so does my desire to test further. It's just too sweet for my taste.” - pepperoniann

Julie Masse and Dom de Vetta

When a fragrance gets such opposite opinions, I usually get interested. When everyone likes a fragrance, I get that as a sign of possible yawn. So I asked Dom de Vetta for a sample. I had liked Blacks Club Leather and I wanted to see what this was about. And to me this was my first impression as soon as I got it and smelled it:

It was not just a first impression. This is the way I still see Framboise Noire. First of all, I don't think this is an extremely sweet perfume. Not at all. Yes it is fruity and jammy, but also very dark and smoky. I would say it evokes hot tar and raspberry jelly. Yes, jelly, not jam, don't ask me why. It has a transparent quality which compensates the fruity sugars. And the junction of red fruits with oud and smoky woods creates a nice contrast.

We have seen raspberry and oud before in Montana's Graphite Oud Edition, but Framboise Noire goes in a different direction. While Graphite Oud Edition adds roses and stays closer to a European fantasy of Middle Eastern oud, in Framboise Noire, the oud is there just for an effect, to add more darkness and smoke to the composition. To be very honest I can detect the same base notes as in Blacks Club Leather, but instead of beeswax and rum over a leather seat where men smoke, in Framboise Noire I imagine raspberry jelly spilled over the fireplace where large logs were burning and are now turned into charcoal.

Despite the fact that the notes make you believe this is a thick, strong perfume, I disagree. Actually, crazy as I am, I would like to see it in a stronger concentration. I feel the will to choke and drown in these raspberries. But instead, there is no danger at all in this scent. You can spray generously for it seems to reach a peak where no matter how much more you apply, it doesn't get more intense. I was expecting something in the intensity range of Balenciaga's Rumba, but Framboise Noire is somewhat safe. So don't be afraid of the reviews that tell you it is sickly sweet. I don't like very sweet perfumes and I enjoy Framboise Noire.

Regarding the darkness Dom de Vetta intended to impart to such a happy fruit as raspberry, I think he succeeded. I could imagine a Disney character like Maleficent smelling like Framboise Noire. There is an obscure quality in this perfume, and the fact that is stays close to the skin is part of that mystery. Framboise Noire may not be menacing but it lurks in a subtle evil spirit while still tinged in fruity redness.