Muri Lelu Founder Gilah Elul Talks Full Flower Skincare and Entrepreneur Life

Gilah Elul is the Founder and Chief Marketer of Muri Lelu, the first clean luxury skincare products to be crafted with organic full flower ingredients. We spoke with her about chasing waves in Vieques, communing with nature and the core people in her life. 

Window, Middle or Aisle?Window!

Where’s the last place you traveled? Puerto Rico, for my first time ever. My family is from Belize so traveling to other countries in the Caribbean always gives me a familiar feeling of easy, joy and comfort.

We bounced around from San Juan to El Yunque and stayed at the tranquil Finca Victoria in Vieques for a few days, which was my favorite experience of the trip. Vieuques is an off-shore island may for beach bums like myself, and Finca is a really grounding and bespoke experience. It was a dream to do yoga and swim in the pool in the mornings, followed by chasing waves until the sun went down.

What does travel mean to you? Freedom. Adventure. Discovery. Dreaming.

What’s your idea of a perfect vacation? A bit of both worlds. I love a moment to experience culture, history, art and food. A moment to get lost and fall in love a new city and way of living.

....But at the same time, I view vacation as a valuable time to recharge and reconnect with creative energy, to feed my spirit, commune with nature and to catch up on books I’ve said I was going to read but haven’t gotten around to yet! I love ending vacation with a moment for relaxation and recovery.

What do you most value in your friendships? I prioritize connections that help me feel seen, understood and comfortable to be vulnerable. If I feel like I can love your heart while learning and growing together with you, that’s it for me!

What (or Who) currently inspires you? Always inspired by the core people in my life. My friends, my siblings, my very incredible partner.

I’ve also been lucky enough over the past two years as an entrepreneur building my brand Muri Lelu to meet peers who are also launching and running their own businesses. I’ve learned so much from each of them and have just felt really supported while doing something that can be, in reality, quite isolating.

What is your self-care routine when traveling? I am notoriously terrible at this, but I try to be as unplugged and off as possible. If I do use my phone, I try to keep it limited to taking photos and sharing the occasional too-good-to-be-missed content.

Since my last few vacations have been beachy, I’m really focused on suncare and recovery. I bring multiple sunscreen options and antioxidant rich skincare. For body and makeup — anything with shimmer and golden/warming tin in it. I skip harsh, intense or complicated products such as exfoliants, multi-steps, etc.

Also, can’t forget good music. Making playlists in advance if possible, to enjoy while dancing on the beach or on a balcony with wine. It’s the little things, right?

The holy grail of your beauty routine? I’m, obviously, biased, but I’m all about our two-step skincare essentials, the Full Flower Ritual. It’s the easiest, most sensorial treat and I’m so glad we conceived it as a Serum for day and an Oil for night so that I get to use these beautiful formulas twice in one day. 

Other things I really really like: SKIMDO’s Curl Cream was a game changer and if my hair’s not in braids I use it every week. I’m also really into body products right now: Costa Brazil Kaya Body Oil by day, The Flores All Day Cream by The Established at night. And SKINNED’s gorgeous Sex Appeal body oil when I travel — I love how rich and moisturizing it is while also lending the perfect shine.

What are you manifesting in your life right now? More ease, more opportunities to find joy, more career growth and independence and definitely more travel!

Follow Gilah on Instagram @TheLadiesFirst. All images courtesy of Gilah Elul.