Sexy. Cheeky. Sunny.

That's the rather trite tagline used to describe the US brand Laline's bath and body products. The brand, which recently signed a franchise agreement with Wing Tai Holdings plans to open 15 stores here.

Trite or not, the tagline worked, and this secret shopper decided to visit the first outlet to open here, at Marina Square Mall.

SIGNATURE STYLE

If you're a fan of heavily-scented shampoos, bath bombs, body cream and scrubs, this is as close to heaven as you will get.

Pristine-looking tubs with a distinctly feminine designs contained goodies with names like Sandalwood Vanilla, Fig Yogurt and Oriental Musk.

Out of the three, only Fig Yogurt piqued my interest. Sandalwood Vanilla was a bit too safe, while Oriental Musk veered into the overly-spicy territory.

The brand also stocks two lines for men, one of which is named "Womanizer".

There are also products for your face - cleansers, face masks and eye cream.

Laline also stocks quirky accessories like tiny shovels for shovelling Dead Sea salt out of its tub, rubber duckies and baby shoes. Cute.

But does the boutique offer a unique line of products? Frankly, no.

Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five other bath and body labels which already enjoy considerable popularity here.

As a new entrant, I think Laline will have to carve out a more distinct identity and do a bit of marketing to have an edge over its competitors here.

PRICE POINT

Most of the products in this boutique are priced between $20 to $30. A plus for this secret shopper.

A 230g sugar peel, made from sugar granules, shea and cocoa butter will set you back $29.90, while a bottle of body mist costs $23.90.

The only things I found pricey in this shop are its deodorant sticks.

For something you will use only under your arms, I reckon $19.90 a pop is too much to pay, especially since pharmacies offer similar products for a fraction of the price.

STORE LAYOUT

From the racks to product packaging, everything at Laline is white. Kudos for having a consistent (and clean) look.

The store is modest in size, but the racks and pails which contain the products were well-spaced, so it was a joy to browse through.

I liked that there were two taps and matching washbasins in the middle of the store for customers to clean up after trying samples of the products, which were readily available around the store.

SERVICE

The sales assistant who trailed me around the store was pleasant and patient as I asked questions and requested to try the product samples.

Throughout my 20-minute visit, I didn't feel ignored or neglected.

My only gripe about the service bugged me like a tiny itch which wouldn't go away.

The sales assistant repeatedly pronounced "fig" in fig yogurt as "fitch".

I was dying to correct her, but in the end, I was just too polite to say anything.

VERDICT

The shop is pretty, neat and clean.

Prices here are reasonable, so picking up a couple of gifts when Christmas rolls around may not be a bad idea.

But the products here seem fairly run-of-the-mill, so I don't know if I'd make a special trip to purchase them if I weren't in the vicinity.

WHAT: Laline
WHERE: Marina Square mall, #02-211
WHEN: 11am to 9.30pm, Mondays to Thursdays.
10am to 10pm, Fridays to Sundays.
HISTORY: Laline was started in 1999 by a pair of Israeli cousins. The brand uses essential oils and scents sourced in the Provence region of France and mineral salts from the Dead Sea.

This article was first published in The New Paper.