Havaianas: The Best Rubber Sandals in the World {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, kitkat234!}

Here in the Midwest, as soon as it begins to get the slightest bit warm people start to embrace the heat. The snow will have barely melted but when the temperatures stay above freezing for a few days in a row and the sun is shining, suddenly I'll see shorts and t-shirts everywhere I go.

And it doesn't stop when fall arrives, oh no. Even though I do at least wait until spring has fully arrived to consider hanging up my winter jacket, for me it's all about the flip flops. Once those are out, my feet are happy.

I've been known to wear them when it's still a bit too chilly for bare toes in the spring and I continue wearing them long past when they should have gone into storage in the fall. For years I purchased those cheap, $2 flip flops found at the store that are a single thin piece of rubber and not much else and I seemed to be okay with the blah styles and the lack of comfort simply because they were flip flops.

Those days, they are long gone now. When I go shopping for anything from women's sandals for myself to kids' tennis shoes for my girls, I want high quality, fashion and comfort and I won't settle for anything less.

Which is why I was happy to be introduced to Havaianas and their large selection of "The Best Rubber Sandals in the World" for the whole family.

Designed and manufactured in South America, Havaianas were created in the 1960s and are now seen on fashion runways around the world, as well as at the most prestigious events and retailers.

As well as being known for such a large variety of fashionable colors and eye-catching styles, the name Havaianas is synonymous with ultra-high quality. The reason? Their top-secret rubber recipe that makes their sandals soft as marshmallows, light, and extremely durable.

Considering how much I wear my flip flops, I was looking forward to checking out the comfort of Havaianas myself... but I didn't know what a difficult decision it would be when I began to browse their website. The colors! The designs! Heck, you can even make your own if one of the many, many options available aren't exactly right.

After a long time of pondering, I decided on the Slim Season style in Navy Silver and barely had to wait a few days before they arrived.

How cool are these? I love the combination of the navy blue and the swirls of silver, blue and purple on the bottoms as well as the silver straps across the top. When worn, my foot covers much of the design, but there is enough showing around the edges and under my heel when taking a step that it has much more appeal than if they were just plain navy.

In terms of fit, this Slim design seems to me to run on the smaller end, so I ended up exchanging my original pair (I had chosen size 7/8 as I usually wear an 8) for the next size up (size 9/10) and they fit great.

This was my first time deciphering the US/Brazilian/European size chart and I'm not certain I understand it (this pair says USA 7/8, EUR 41/2 and 39-40, which doesn't seem to match up exactly with what is shown on the Havaianas size chart), but the exchange process was quick and easy.

And the comfort?

Whatever goes into the Havaianas super secret rubber recipe really works! The base has plenty of thickness to feel sturdy and strong, yet squishes just enough that they're very comfortable. And the smooth rubber of the straps doesn't bother me between my toes or across the top of my feet at all - in short, I'm able to wear these for an extended period of time and they feel great!

With styles and colors available for women, men, kids and baby, you'll be amazed at all that Havaianas has to offer. Their mission of communicating joy, freedom and happiness through fashionable footwear and that they participate in organizations that support society and our planet is something that I appreciate. It is no wonder that their authentic comfort and quality is something that they are proud to provide!

Prices vary depending on the accessories that adorn each pair of Havaianas (there are some with Swarovski crystal elements!) but the traditional men's and women's flip flops range from $18 - $24 and the kids' retail for $14 - $18.

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to select their favorite (it's a hard decision!) because...

One lucky person will win their choice of shoes (ARV up to $35)
from Havaianas!

To enter to win: Visit Havaianas and tell me which pair of shoes is your favorite!

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Havaianas on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.

1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

WIN your choice of Havaianas high quality, stylish shoes for the whole family! http://bit.ly/pZXxDg @thxmailcarrier #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on September 15th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to continental U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Havaianas for providing a pair of shoes for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.