I hope you guys enjoyed last week’s post on carnival and you took some time to watch that amazon video so you could really get the idea of what carnival is really like. Today I kind of wanted to switch up the pattern a little and talk about some popular brands in Brazil and why they are so popular and maybe even compare them to how they are sold here in the United States.
The first brand is called Havianas. This is a very popular shoe brand in Brazil and they are best known for their super comfortable flip flops. You will never meet a Brazilian person that does not own one of these flip-flops. They are best known for flip flops but have other styles of shoes as well such as sandals, all shoes best made for the type of weather Brazil has. These shoes are amazing, and when you buy them, they sometimes come with these bracelets that are pieces of string. You tie them to whatever part of your body you’d like and for each knot, you create you make one wish. You leave the bracelet on your body, never cutting it off or ripping it off, once it falls off your wishes will come true! This is one of the cutest and one of my favorite things about Brazil as a whole and I wore these bracelets my entire life. The only issue with these shoes is the price difference compared to Brazil and the United States. Most items that come from Brazil are very expensive here but cheaper in Brazil, but other products tend to be a lot more expensive in Brazil such as electronics. In the US, these flip-flops can be as expensive as $26.00, that’s why my mom always buys a whole stock load whenever she comes home from a trip to Brazil.
Another popular brand that I know is a household favorite in my home is a brand called O Boticário. They are the second-largest cosmetic company in all of Brazil. They have items such as perfumes, lotions, hair care, makeup, skincare, and more. My favorite items from their company are their perfumes. They are sweet yet mature perfumes and they have perfumes not only for women but for men and children scents as well. Every time I have a family that comes to visit us in the United States I always ask for their perfume. I have a little bit of a perfume obsession so stocking up on these products when I have the opportunity is always a plan for me. Their hair care line that is specially made specifically for curly hair is also a top favorite in my home. The bottles are pretty small but they work wonders and they smell amazing as do most of the products from this company. Once again, these companies’ prices are a lot cheaper in Brazil than they are here, so it is so much easier for us to stockpile while we are in Brazil.
Although I wish all of you could try these products and love them as much as I do, they are expensive here in the United States and difficult to find unless you have a Brazilian market near you.
It’s really cool that flip flops in Brazil come with little trinkets like those bracelets, kind of a footwear Happy Meal. Those Havianas kind of seem like they could be the Brazilian equivalent of Crocs. Also, I remember seeing this documentary about street art in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, I think that might make an interesting blog post if you haven’t already written about it.