Moonlight Shadow Prada 2018

Recently, I wrote a rather euphoric comment about Soul Of The Forest. I mention this right at the beginning because there is at least a recognizable similarity between these two scents.

Moonlight Shadow starts off woody and remains woody throughout its entire scent journey. This base note varies depending on the 'companions' in the fragrance pyramid, but I would definitely describe the scent as woody-sweet-bitter.
Moonlight Shadow initially presents itself as fruity-spicy upon spraying. Not gourmand or overly sweet when I say fruity. Rather creamy and bittersweet - like a ripe peach.
The fig also comes through quite dominantly from the start. Slightly bitter and very spicy for a fig scent (perhaps also due to the connection with cumin, which I personally don’t perceive as strongly as I had feared).
On my skin, the scent has from the beginning the already mentioned forest aroma, which probably comes from the cedarwood and suits the fragrance excellently. The opening smells almost a little mystical.
After a few minutes, the cocoa becomes noticeably present yet not too prominent. The cocoa really deserves mention here, as it does not smell sweet, nor chocolatey. The cocoa unfolds a background aroma that is already patchouli-esque. And I mean really good, non-musty, and by no means hippie-like patchouli. So dry and serious, like (to make another comparison) in Patchouli Absolu, which has been my signature scent for years.
You can already tell that Moonlight Shadow is a rather dark, spicy, and enveloping fragrance. It is also unplayful and serious, which I mean in a very positive way. Unexcited might also be a very fitting word. And strangely erotic.
The previously mentioned mystical touch is maintained throughout the scent's development and almost takes on meditative qualities when the cedarwood, which has been perceptible all along, comes to the forefront. And it smells incredibly good and surprisingly authentic regarding the "forest image."
Once the scent has settled after about (for me) 20-30 minutes, something in it reminds me of Au Thé Rouge. There is some herbal tea-like note that keeps bringing this association back... But also this comparison (like the previous ones) is not meant to say that Moonlight Shadow "smells like..." but rather to convey an image of the type of fragrance.
Oh, I can't detect leather at any point, but I don't miss it at all.

Ultimately, I find it difficult to summarize everything into a kind of conclusion. Moonlight Shadow is a dark, spicy-bitter scent with a distinctly noticeable forest theme. Great fig note and dark brown patch-cocoa elevate it significantly. It indeed appears noble and yet, due to its almost meditative character, also relaxed. And somehow quite sexy.