Ulili Moroccan Scents Candle Lalla Mira

$52

 

Olibanum, Benzoin, Lemon
اللوبان، الجاوي، الليمون

 

In the pantheon of Gnawa, Lalla Mira is the spirit who inspires dancing and joy. In Morocco, Gnanwas are the heirs to slaves originally brought from Sub-Saharan Africa and lived for several generations in Morocco. During the Lalla Mira summoning ceremony in Essaouira, Gnawas give sweets as an offering and dress in her favourite colour, Yellow.

Since the end of the XIX century, the Gnawas have been identified as a popular brotherhood whose rituals and music are the legacy of mystical cults from Mali, Sudan, Senegal and Guinea.

The scented candle dedicated by Ulili to Lalla Mira, is the meeting of three emblematic materials: The ancient fragrance of the Olibanum, the fizzing spark of lemon and the velvety note of benzoin burning in a brazier. 

 

Add a hand-crafted Thuya Lid to your 100g or 275g candle.

 

INSPIRATION

Essaouira, in a summer night …

The vibrations of the Guembri * strings flare up the ancient resins burning in the brazier
The rythm of the castanets light up the sacred flame. Lalla Mira hammers the zellige beneath her bare feet, leaps like a wild animal, turns around herself, her arms open towards the starry sky.

The deep perfume of her dancing hair blends with the essences infused by the lemon trees on the patio. The frontiers of the real world are dissipating to give way to a full state of trance…

*Guembri : string instrument of the Gnawa Musicians

 

 

Ulili's fragrances are formulated with natural molecules and only the highest quality essential oils and ingredients are used. The Candles are made with natural vegetable and beeswax harvested from the foothills of the Anti Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco and are designed to continuously fill any space with the seductive and passionate scents of the region while reminding us of it's rich and sensual heritage.

Key Features: 

  • Burn time: 100g candle approximately 25 hours and 275g candle approximately 50 hours.
  • 97% Vegetable Wax & 3% Beeswax
  • Natural Cotton and Lead Free Wicks 
  • 100% recycled paper packaging.
  • Paraben Free, Preservative Free, Mineral Oil Free, Phthalate Free, Parrafin Free.

 

 

The Screen Printed Characters

Are illustrated by the artist Zineb Benjelloun.
Each one of the candles comes to life, inspired by the characters of a traditional Spanish card game played by several generations of Moroccans.

The Wax
Each Ulili candle is made with vegetal waxes and beeswax. All candles are paraffin free.
Ulili candles are designed to create a strong, yet delicate release of its fragrances as well as a harmonious melting of the waxes.

The Ceramics
Each piece undergoes several oven firings and hand manipulations for the lacquering and screenprinting. The crackles on our chalices are obtained thanks to "Raku", a japanese technique used in Pottery.

 

The Candles are available in 8 fragrances: M'goun, Tazarine, Oum Rabie, Musk e'Lil, El Arz, Lalla Mira, Talist, and Louisa

ULILI MOROCCAN SCENTS

Discover the brand movie....
Featuring the handcrafting of Ulili candles

The Roots

Once upon a time, there was a fertile plain in Morocco.

It was called ULILI by our ancestors. They named it after a small tree which colorfully adorned the plain with gorgeous pink and white roses.

On such fertile land, the Romans built Volubilis, where seven centuries later, Idriss became king.

Today, only a few remnants and a mausoleum remain, adorned as always by the thriving colorful flora.

Just like the flowering tree whose essence bears the memory of a thousand years, ULILI candles in their amber wax capture the fragrant memories that inhabit the Moroccan imagination.

The Perfumer

ULILI is first of all the result of a meeting in Grasse between Marianne Nawrocki, perfumer, and Omar Benjelloun a lover of the natural and historical heritage of Morocco.

Inspired by Omar’s texts , the “nez” unleashed all her creativity to transcribe into the magical language of scents ULILI’s olfactory reveries.

 

A former graduate and current Lecturer at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, Marianne Nawrocki works today in the creation of customized fragrances for private clients who value the quality of ingredients and the uniqueness of products.

Marianne has created ULILI’s fragrances since the launch of the brand and ensures that Ulili's scents composed of the highest quality locally sourced essential oils, natural isolates, and other perfume ingredients produced in France, and comply with the European Regulations for SAFE Perfume composition as outlined by the IFRA Standards

The Illustrations

In order to illustrate the strong characters of ULILI’s fragrances, the brand worked with Zineb Benjelloun, one of the most talented young artists of her generation.

Trained in documentary cinema and fine arts, she depicts in her original illustrations and silkscreens, a bright and abundant Morocco.

For ULILI, Zineb looks to the games and childhood memories of her country. M’goun, Hafa, Oum Rabie… Each one of the candles comes to life, inspired by the characters of a traditional Spanish card game played by several generations of Moroccans. The “Rey”, “Souta” and “Cabale” are depicted by the artist proudly wearing the main ingredient of each fragrance.

Through this playful herbarium, ULILI tries to uncover the wealth of the Moroccan olfactory imagination.

The Expertise

The Ulili candles are casted and handcrafted in ULILI’s workshop in Casablanca.
They are made with vegetal waxes and beeswax harvested from the foothills of the Anti Atlas in south Morocco.

This special beeswax provides each candle with an amber colour and a honeyed touch.
ULILI candles are designed to create a strong, yet delicate release of its fragrances as well as a harmonious melting of its waxes.

The wicks are made of natural cotton and the candles are paraffin free.

The Artisans

The ceramist: ULILI has been working for several years with a ceramist from the city of Tangier in order to create the containers of candles and diffusing hands.
Many oven firings and multiple hand manipulations for the lacquering and screenprinting are needed to produce ULILI’s ceramics.

The soap maker: The soap maker who makes ULILI scented soaps, is one of the best in his line of work in Morocco.
His experience is also enriched by a family legacy in the production of olive oil.
This important partner uses the harvested olive oil from his own fields in order to craft ULILI scented soaps.

The thuya craftsman: ULILI traveled to Essaouira to find a skilled craftman for the making of the scented candles wooden lids*.
This artisan has carved these lids in the precious thuya wood. This wood is a specialty of the ancient Portuguese city of Essaouira, built in the 16th century on the Atlantic coast.

ULILI’s team looks ahead to strengthen the passionate relationship that binds Moroccan artisans with the brand through the various creations.

* lids sold as an accessory for the 9,7 oz scented candles only which are not available in Canada quite yet.

The Founder

Omar Benjelloun deeply searched for a way to share his fascination towards nature and the multicultural history of his homeland Morocco.

His encounter with the language of the scents was a meteoric revelation.

With his experience on the road between entrepreneurship and design, he embarked on the ULILI adventure in 2013, convinced that a brand of scents with 100% Moroccan roots, yet demanding and passionate, can seduce people both in Morocco and worldwide.

Omar undertook training courses at the Perfumery School of Grasse where his interest and passion for scents flourished. He was mentored by Marianne Nawrocki, independent perfumer and teacher at the GIP. Since then, Marianne became the perfumer and creator of ULILI’s fragrances.

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