Kemei Lady Epilator - KM-290R

The Kemei KM-290R is a women's electric epilator and shaver, and its defining quality is size. At 12 × 4 centimetres it genuinely fits in the palm of your hand — small enough to live in a handbag or a washbag rather than a bathroom cabinet. That is what makes it useful: the hair removal tool you actually have with you beats the better one at home.

It runs on a rechargeable battery charged over USB, so a phone charger or a laptop port will do and there is no proprietary adapter to pack. The 3 W motor is honestly sized for the job — this is a device for touch-ups and maintenance, for catching what you missed before going out, rather than for clearing large areas from scratch.

The IPX5 rating means it is washable: rinse it under a running tap after use and it is clean in seconds. Worth being precise, though — IPX5 is water-resistant, not submersible. Rinse it, shake it out and let it dry, but do not soak it or take it into the shower.

The body is lightweight ABS plastic in a violet finish, which stands up to being carried loose in a bag and looks deliberate on a shelf rather than medical.

One practical caveat: a full charge takes 8 hours. Given how little runtime a touch-up uses, you will charge it rarely — but charge it the night before a trip rather than an hour beforehand.