As Dark Things Are Meant to be Loved
Alkemia Apothecary and Perfumery

As Dark Things Are Meant to be Loved is a somewhat frustrating scent, mainly because of the difference between how you expect it to smell - based on the evocative description - and how it actually smells. Instead of a rich, smoky brew of tea, leather, and incense, for instance, there is the brusque astringency of coffee, tobacco, and coconut husk.

I wish I knew what caramelized opium was supposed to smell like so that I could comment on authenticity. Either way, nothing spicy or dangerous seems to show up. It smells of dusty brown disappointment. As Dark Things Are Meant to be Loved is a somber, slim-hipped whippet of a scent that lends itself well to moody introspection and lonely walks in the rain, therefore meeting one hundred percent of the goal expressed in the name of the perfume but zero percent of the expectations raised by its list of notes.