ESXENCE 2015: Majda Bekkali Tulaytulah

by: Elena Knezhevich

Peace in the world is what all good people want. It is in the air and the perfume community normally reflects our strong wishes in their creations. I encountered several perfumes composed around this thought at Esxence.

Majda Bekkali came to Esxence with her melodiously named Tulaytulah perfume. As the house explained it, the fragrance opens a new collection and the design of its flacons will be slightly different from the previous perfumes, with golden caps.

top: light floral note of cherry blossom, cypress and star anise.
middle: bitter almond, frangipani and malt notes.
base: soft musky leather, blonde suede, tonka bean, vanilla.

Tulaytulah is an ancient name of the Spanish city of Toledo, south of Madrid. This city is known for its historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures. By this encouranging example, Majda wants to illustrate that it is possible to live together in peace and mutual respect.

Majda Bekkali, the founder of the brand

"The Tulaytulah fragrance starts with marzipan accents, a specific Toledo pastry with almond and honey. It evokes the poetry of cherry blossoms on the edge of the Tagus river, the cadenced trot of a racy Alezan. It is also a leathery fragrance with a blond suede texture."

Tulaytulah was my first fragrance I smelled at Esxence before its actual opening, while Majda was unpacking her presentation materials. I was blown away by itsoutstanding blend which didn't fit any known frames. It came as a blessing to the whole exhibition which was to start the next day.

At first I didn't grasp what I smelled. It was just different and quite strong. Then I got an almond—a very unusual one, which was described by Majda as green. I found a starting point and the fragrance universe came to its harmony.

Almond is one of the very attractive notes in perfumery which is usually reserved for a quite limited sweet gourmand domain. What else could it be, after Loukhoum Keiko Mecheri and Louve Serge Lutens? However, Tulaytulah is not sweet. It is disturbingly surprising in the top, with some roughness which I couldn't define until the almond reveal itself. Then, all the flowers, the green and aromatic nuances, the leather and the ambery nuances were brushed and united around their leader. You simply can't complain when you smell a familiar note with such a good reputation as almond. In this case a green leathery almond (look at its suedish skin!), for everyone.

Photos from Esxence by Elena Knezhevich