03/26/2010
On Location Home / Entertainment Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Every weekend is a party in Las Vegas, but the opening weekend of March Madness stands out as one of best weekends to visit this hedonistic paradise. So naturally we welcomed the invitation to join Axe in Vegas and run with the AXE Fixers promotional crew for a weekend of booze, great food, poker and college hoops parlay bets. Word was a few "surprises" were in store and the Axe team didn't disappoint!
Here at Bullz-Eye we love partying with the gang at Axe, and I knew I was in for a fun weekend as I cruised to the airport in the limousine. Axe reserved a stunning penthouse suite at the Hard Rock that served as our home base throughout the weekend. I was pumped to watch the NCAA basketball tournament action unfold in the sports book at the Hard Rock and enjoy everything else Vegas has to offer. Axe was promoting its line of mood-altering shower gels and they planned a number of memorable events in the city to highlight the unique characteristics of each product. When Axe told us it was going to be a roller coast ride of a weekend, they weren't kidding!
AXE Shock
This is where the fun really began with a promotion around the Axe Shock shower gel that has glacier water, deep sea mint and menthol that will cause a cool, stimulating sensation. Word is Shock wakes guys up and keeps them going late into the night. Our first fixer experience was also a "shock" when AXE took all of us unsuspecting publishers to the top of the Stratosphere Hotel, which is 109 stories tall, to ride the Big Shot (right), which at 1091 feet was the most incredible thrill ride I have ever experienced. After flying out on a four-hour-plus plane ride from Cleveland, I was back in business and glad I hadn't had dinner yet.
Since we were all shocked, it was now safe to have that dinner at Italian heavyweight restaurant Ago at the Hard Rock. Style, elegance and great food makes this Tuscan-style Italian ristorante (which is co-owned by Robert DeNiro) one of the favorite spots in Vegas for dining enthusiasts.
AXE Fever
The second fixer event took place at the Axe penthouse suite with celebrity bartender Tobin Ellis (right), who along with his Argentine associate mixed and created drinks in the spirit of Axe Fever. Tobin is a cool guy who can really talk it up with folks and knows how to get you in the party mood with some out-of-this-world drinks. The two bartenders juggled, spun and entertained as only a top mixology talent could accomplish. Fever shower gel helps guys ignite their “caliente” spirit and get the party going, featuring Brazilian Hot Mud and Dragon Fruit. Wait until you try Fever as it gets your juices flowing and lights a fire under your you-know-what!
Axe Rise
This is a gel we could all use in the morning as it contains Himalayan minerals with exhilarating citrus extract that helps guys conquer morning grogginess so you can catch key details all day long. Axe had a surprise in store for me and the other guests with what turned out to be a fake attendee/writer in our group. Axe secretly brought in a pair of twin actresses who pretended to be a writer and went by the name of Jesse (right). "Jesse" was the name of one of the twins and "Becky" was the other, and the two switched in and out of meetings and events without anyone in the group catching on to this trickery. This prank really had all of us shaking our heads when both of them ended up in the same room with our group on Saturday morning. After we learned of this scheme many in the group shared different stories and info that "Jesse" gave them. Shame on me as "Jesse" told me she was a men's lifestyle writer but had never heard of Bullz-Eye.com! I should have known something wasn't right. Nice job Aaron as you really fooled us on that one. (You can see a lot more of Jesse and Becky at TheFixers.com, and check out their photo shoot at Maxim.)
After that revelation and a super brunch in the Axe penthouse suite (with non-stop NCAA action on huge flat screens), poker and blackjack ace Phil Gordon educated us in the mastery of both games. Phil was totally cool and broke down the strategies of winning blackjack at any casino whether you're alone or with a team of players. Phil also taught us how to play Texas Hold'em and revealed some great money-making techniques. If I picked up anything from this session (other than a free signed DVD from Mr. Gordon), it was that playing these card games correctly was like clocking into work -- you really have to pay attention to detail. That was also part of the Axe Rise lesson; that detail is so important in all we do!
On Saturday night, we were lucky enough to experience an incredible dinner at Le Cirque located in the Bellagio Hotel and Casino where I tried truffles for the first time. Le Cirque has a AAA Five Diamond rating that speaks eloquently of French cuisine. This is the type of restaurant where a guy can really impress his lady with an experience that will have her taste buds begging for more.
Axe Snake Peel
This shower gel is mainly for all of you single guys out there without a wife or steady girlfriend. Axe Snake Peel shower scrub has desert minerals and cactus oil that exfoliates skin to help guys shed any regret they may have from the night before, or to clean off from a muddy game of football with your fellow too-slow-for-primetime friends.
After the phenomenal meal at Le Cirque, our friends at Axe took the group down the street to see Frank Marino's Divas Las Vegas, the long-running show at the Imperial Palace (this ain't the Bellagio baby!!). While Marino was dead on with his Joan Rivers impersonation and the other performers tried their best at lip syncing to the likes of Madonna, Diana Ross, Britney Spears and Beyoncé, we didn't make it through the whole show. It was clear that after this charade we all needed to head back to our rooms and put that Axe snake peel to work! I did have some laughs and Axe hooked up our group by taking us out to Vanity at the Hard Rock to cap off the weekend. The place was jumping and we were lucky to have a VIP booth right by the DJ stage, and Nicky Hilton was partying in another booth nearby apparently celebrating a friend's birthday. I'm sure they were having a good time but the word at Vanity was that the Axe booth was the place to be!
The men's grooming market is on the move and many can thank Axe for being an innovative force out there that has men rethinking and perfecting their grooming habits. (I know I have!) Thanks again to the Axe Fixers team for an incredible time!
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