LK Bennett Marlene Sandals from Zalando

The end of the summer sales are hotting up so it's definitely time to take advantage of those bargains around the web. Zalando are in the ladt few days of sale and have a huge range of items - shoes, clothes, accessories and sportswear for men, women and children - and lots of designer brands.

I have found this gorgeous pair of LK Bennett heeled sandals, which are perfect for those warmer evenings which are surely to come, despite the current changeable weather.  They come in stripey black (reduced from £175 to £125) or red (reduced from £175 to £140).

I see them being worn with a classic, box pleat, A-line skirt for daytime or evening elegance and a simple blouse or silk t-shirt.  Add a cropped cardi to keep warm whilst sipping cocktails outside!

It's worth noting as well the current sale, until 31st Sepember 2014, customers can ger 5% all items (excluding sale) with the code ZAAUGSEP5 on orders over £50 at Zalando.

Dark Floral Scuba Structured Playsuit from Lavish Alice

Lavish Alice is a gorgeous, online store that specialises in fashion's most covetable trends at reasonable prices.  It's also well-loved in showbiz circles, with popular singers like Pixie Lott, radio DJs such as Fearne Cotton and reality TV stars like Millie Mackintosh, Michelle Keegan and Samantha Faiers.

They have a great range of playsuits, perfect for the summer months.  I love this one with a digital floral monchrome print, making it easy to wear with a range of accessories - from flat pumps for daytime wear to heels for a smarter look; oversized sunglasses and hat for chilling in the sun or bright jewellery to give a complementary colour pop.

In line with the celeb theme of Lavish Alice, it's been recently spotted on E! News presenter Giuliana Rancic in the USA with some fab killer heels.  Very nice!

It's £44 - unfortunately it's not in the current 70% off sale. But so lovely!

New Sorbet Range from the Body Shop

I am loving The Body Shop's products at the moment. My current favourites are now the Sorbets, particularly - the Morninga products - cooling skincare treats for the face and body, simply luscious.  I've been using a couple of products - one for the face and neck and one for the body - to keep my skin moisturised, cool and smooth. A great tip for using these is to pop them in the fridge before use, for extra frosty refreshment!

Moringa Body Sorbet & Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet - lovely!

The first product is the gorgeous Vitamin E Aqua Boost Sorbet which I have been using on my face and neck. It really is cooling, light and smooth and perfect for this muggy weather. It contains Aqua Sphere technology - microscopic moisture spheres that act like tiny reservoirs and hold hundreds of times their weight in pure water, basically meaning that it works beautifully for up to 24 hours. It does! It also contains wheatgerm oil, Community Fair Trade shea butter and soya oil.

I've also been using the Moringa Body Sorbet (not for the face!).  Again, cooling and smooth, smelling of divine florals, it absorbs really quickly into my skin with no stickiness. It also comes in strawberry, mango, peach and satsuma.  As ever, it's all ethical - the body sorbet range contains 100% organic Community Fair Trade Aloe Vera from Guatemala, to comfort, cool and soothe skin frazzled by the summer heat. Perfecto!

Until 5th August, customers can get 35% off using the code 35OFF.

Lola and Luxury Lace Bras from Gossard

Gossard sent me some gorgeous lingerie from the Lola range and Luxury Lace range recently.  Gossard have always been on the cutting edge of lingerie fashion and it was great to try these fantastic products.

I am impressed.  Being a plus-sized person, I have found that over the years, it's been almost impossible to get well-fitting, reasonably priced, pretty, colourful and stylish lingerie and I do feel that these ranges cover all of these bases.  The first range I tried was from the Lola collection.  The Lola neon pink with turquoise ribbon detailing non-padded bra (pictured) comes in sizes 30D to 38G, the plunge bra in sizes 30D to 38E and the shorts and thong in extra small to extra large.  I love the colour combination of this range with the complementary turquoise ribbon and neon pink lace, giving it an amazing colour pop.  The non-padded bra is very supportive, with an inner net and criss-cross, gateback on  the back making me feel comfortable yet attractive.

The second range I tried was from the Luxury Lace collection. The Luxury Lace plunge bra comes in sizes 30D to 38F (pictured below in aqua).  Slightly padded, it allows for one's cleavage to look awesome!  I also tried the thong (again, below) in extra large which fit and looked superb.  There's also a balcony bra from 30D to 38E and the shorts and thongs in extra small to extra large too.  This range comes in three different colours - an aqua/turquoise blue with candy pink ribbon as shown, a darker, almost purplish blue (selling out fast with discounts on this gorgeous colour) and classic black - the latter two with baby pink ribbon detailing.  There's also a fab suspender belt in the dark blue to complete the look.

To conclude, thank you to Gossard for introducing me to these lovely ranges; my husband thanks you too! And as a savvy and canny shopper, I do think the pricing is very good already for quality, gorgeous and unique products, but do watch out for discounts, sales and voucher codes which become available at certain times making their ranges even more desirable!

Anna Scholz Cowl Colour Block Dress from Simply Be

I have just rediscovered Simply Be, a plus-size (12 - 32) store with a fabulous range of clothing, shoes and accessories. They have great basics at decent prices as well as on-trend, flattering pieces that can't be found elsewhere. I like it especially as the clothes have been designed for larger ladies, so customers can be confident that they should fit well and look good.

They have just started their online sale today (in store starts tomorrow) and there are some amazing items on offer. I will be purchasing this amazing cowl necked colour block dress by the designer Anna Scholz.  The colours and patterns are simply divine.  The cut and fabric composition, with a hint of elastane, will ensure the style is super-flattering to emphasise those feminine curves. I'd mainly wear this with heels for an evening out, but I do think one could get away with it for a lovely lunch out or other daytime event.  It's still available in sizes 20 to 32 and has been reduced from £70 to just £33!

As well as the sale, Simply Be has an ongoing code of 10% off for new customers, which is CQHC5.

New Raspberry Range from the Body Shop

I'm really impressed with the range of products and discounts that the Body Shop offers on a regular basis.  Coupled with their ethics - including Fair Trade, against animal testing, human rights and green values - I don't think anyone can go wrong with them!

They have just launched the most fantastic new raspberry range and I've been using the shower gel and body butter. It smells wonderful and realistic; so often these sorts of products can smell synthetic, overpowering and fake but these don't - it is a natural, delightful, real raspberry smell! The raspberries are picked early in the season which also preserves skin-boosting antioxidants to protect and nourish.

The shower gel is soap-free which is great for me - I can use soap but it can occasionally bring out a little rash, so I do prefer this type of product. Obviously, I use it in the shower where it lathers up well and feels fresh and clean and my skin has been perfect afterwards. Even better, it's sweetened with Fair Trade honey, supporting bee-keepers and their communities in Ethiopia.

The body butter is gorgeous; it feels amazing when it goes on and keeps my skin silky smooth for ages - it certainly lives up to its 24 hour hydration promise. I also don't need a lot of it for fully moisturised, soft skin meaning it's great value for money. Using this after the shower gel means that the moisture gets locked in really well and I also get the subtle raspberry scent all over!  And again, one of the ingredients - the Shea butter - is sourced Fair Trade from Ghana, so its an ethical purchase. Simply divine all round.

The new raspberry body collection at The Body Shop

The other products in this range include an Eau de Toilette, a body scrub and a lightweight body lotion, all of which, I'm sure, are just as amazing. Until today, customers can get 40% off with purchases of four or more and 30% off with purchases of two or three products with the code PICK.

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Checked Dress from Laura Ashley

Laura Ashley is again supporting Fashion Targets Breast Cancer with two beautiful, complementary pieces of which 30% of the proceeds will go to the charity.

The first of the items is this gorgeous checked pink and white dress, gathered at the waist and a flared skirt for maximum flattery. It's 100% cotton so will be super cool for summer and great quality.  Pair with some pale pumps and it's the basis for a quick summer daytime outfit. It's £85 and comes in sizes 8 to 20.

And speaking of pairing, this pink bow neck cardigan is the other item whereby 30% of the proceeds will go to the charity, and it will be perfect with the dress if it gets a little cold!  It's £40 and again, comes in sizes 8 to 20 - but is selling out fast.

In addition, for the Easter weekend, Laura Ashley have 25% off all other fashion (not these items) so it's definitely worth having a look at the site for bargains.