CAN you sniff your way to slimness? Well, stranger things have happened. Come to that, can you also sniff your way to alertness, relaxation or a better sex life. Got to be worth trying, hasn't it?

AromaCards are stylish little plastic wallets about the same size as a credit card, easy to carry around with you. They are packed full of essential oils and you just snap them open, take a few deep breaths, and that should be that.

There are half a dozen or more in the range, all designed to achieve different specific results. It would be wonderful if they worked, but can it really be that easy?

ALERT

"Contains essential oils shown to have a positive effect on sustained attention and mental alertness."

The main oil in this is peppermint. "A good sniff certainly clears the head," said our tester, who was in danger of falling asleep over a pile of extremely boring typing. "So yes, it did help wake me up a bit."

Did it work? Yes.

RESIST

"Will give your willpower a real boost. Designed to put a stop to chocolate cravings by filling you up on scent alone."

This smells strongly of vanilla and, maybe, if you have a sweet tooth, it could put you off chocolate, but it was so sickly sweet that it just made our tester go straight for a doorstep cheese and pickle sandwich instead.

Did it work? No.

HEADEASE

"Helps reduce cranial discomfort in the brow or temple area. When you feel the furrows forming, smooth them away with

AromaCard."

This contains bergamot and peppermint. It's a pleasant combination, and although it hasn't got the punch of a Paracetomol, it was quite soothing.

Did it work? Possibly.

BREATHE

"Offers swift relief from the symptoms of hay fever, without the side effects. Forget your hay fever and enjoy your summer."

Wow - this won't just cure your hay fever symptoms, it will cure everyone around you. This is a powerful mixture of peppermint and eucalyptus. We snapped it open for a few seconds, took the few deep breaths as instructed and for nearly an hour afterwards the entire office smelt of eucalyptus. Luckily, most people liked it.

Did it work? It's that powerful, it has to.

RELAX

"Specially formulated to benefit those who need to unwind safely and naturally with the help of pleasant and soothing scents."

Very lavenderish this and quite pleasant. But a quick sniff in a stressful situation isn't going to do anything. Instead you need to inhale it somewhere quiet and peaceful and that in itself will help your stress.

Did it work? Not on its own.

INTIMATES

"Smell your way to better sexual enjoyment and intimacy." This comes in two versions - male and female. We made a mistake with the male version and gave it to Dad At Large who got it all wrong, thought it would make him irresistible to the opposite sex and attempted to test it with all the women in his wife's reading group. At once. Poor chap. NO wonder they all started laughing at him. The female version was no better. Well, there's something deeply un-erotic about having to have a good strong sniff before you start.

Did it work? Only if you stop laughing and we never got that far.

SLIM PLAN TRIO

Three different cards to be used on different days. "Based on scientifically researched aromas that can help people on a weight management programme. Ninety per cent of taste comes from smell. The resultant sensation is one of satisfaction - obtained without having consumed any calories."

These three cards smelt of banana, green apple and peppermint. The banana smelt of cheap sweets and the green apple smelt of toilet cleaner. These were the only fragrances which we didn't enjoy sniffing, as they made us feel slightly sick. Maybe that's how they work. A quick sniff of toilet cleaner and suddenly you don't fancy your burger and chips any more. They claim dramatic success for these fragrances in the US. Weight losses of over 4lbs a month, without dieting.

Did they work? No, because they were so nasty we didn't want to use them.

AromaCards cost £7.95 and should last for two months. They are available from health food shops and private pharmacies and also direct from makers Swiss Health. Tel: 0870 842 0870 for details.

Teddy Bears are taking over the world

The latest bear shop to open is Teddyshack in Skinnergate, Darlington. Owner Yvonne Doyle has always loved bears and used to collect them. "Then I gave most of them away and have really regretted it," she says.

The answer was to open her own shop where she now has literally hundreds of bears. They range from tiny bears at £4.99, to limited edition collectors' items at well over £100. There are big glossy brown bears, bears that look like leopards, a bear who's really a gazelle in a giraffe coat (but I may have got confused on that one) and there's even an angel bear, called Seraphina, complete with wings.

"There are lots of very serious collectors about," she says. "We aim to cater for those. We'll be having more of the top brands in and I really want to encourage artist bears - made by individuals, where there might be only two or three of each bear."

They already stock Dalewood, made in Stokesley.

The shop is run by Pat Marshall, (used to be in the china department in Dressers), another teddy bear fan. She and Yvonne have started making bears and Yvonne is also planning to make clothes for bears.

"They've been very neglected and I don't see why they shouldn't have their own outfits." says Yvonne. As well as all those serious bears for grown-ups, there are also plenty of bears for children, bears designed to be played with and hugged. We agree that however much it might add to the value, there is something extremely sad about an old bear that's still pristine.

Yvonne's old bear lurks in a corner of the shop. He's over 40 years old and definitely battered and balding. Forget the investment, that's how a bear should be.

Teddyshack, 72 Skinnergate, Darlington. Tel: (01325) 749586. Email: sales way to better