A few weeks ago the Beyond Beauty Basics team was invited to sneak a peek at Philips latest introduction to the world of electronics: the Wake-Up Light. The morning was kicked off by lifestyle guru Sally Horchow as she went through her 5 tips to a better morning. My favorite tip: drinking tea every morning. Finally! I’ve been a tea fanatic for the past 10 years and now I have an excuse to tell my husband when he complains about that 3 lb. bag of assorted teas in our cabinet.

After Horchow’s delightful morning countdown, the Philips team began with their presentation of the Wake-Up Light. According to the research team at Phillips, people feel more energetic when they wake up with the sun. The Wake-Up Light simulates a sunrise, good for those days when you have to get up before the sun actually rises (a.k.a. during winter). You start by setting the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier than you normally do and then the Wake-up Light gradually fills your room with bright light like a rising sun. The light also comes with FM radio, 4 nature sounds (think song birds and wind chimes), adjustable light intensity, and an iPod docking station. Nice…..

I gave the light a two week trial and I have to admit I was really excited about using it. I adored the premise and was really in need of a new way to wake up. I set it for 6:45am and sure enough, the bright light and calming wind chimes woke me up each morning. Here’s the downside though, I found the light and sounds so calming I went right back to sleep. Same thing happened the next day, and then the next. The light DOES wake you up (unless you take NyQuil the night before as I learned later on in the week) and it IS relaxing – but is it too relaxing?  I’m still not sure.  I really want to love this product and I’m still going to use it – I’m just going to have to remember to set the back-up alarm on my Blackberry as well.

The Wake-Up Light did have some other features I really enjoyed. For starters, it consumes up to 24% less energy than a normal light bulb. Awesome, less energy equals more money in my pocket… and it definitely helps if you’re “going green,” too. I also used the Dusk Simulation feature just as much as the Sunrise Simulation. I have a hard time falling asleep at night and found the slow dimming of light and sound very soothing.