Dunno if this was the same as the other reply mentioned, but Phillips (and probably others) makes Wake up lights: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulat... - no idea if they really work though.
I wonder about this. I fall asleep much better since I made my blinds block night light.
They let in a bit of light during the day, but far from the full sun, and I can sleep in very easily.
I had a wakeup alarm clock that bathed the room in light, but the screen emits light at night. (It was a phillips alarm)
We live in a loft with angled ceiling windows/blinds* - if I don't close them then it's difficult to sleep with the general ambient city light. I was thinking of making an Arduino IR thingy to open them every morning at sunrise automatically, but tbh the noise of the blinds opening would probably wake us up anyway.
I could wear a sleep mask too, but that would obviously prevent me from waking up to the sun too.
On vacation in California this year I noticed myself waking up every morning with the sun and feeling amazing - wish it was as easy to replicate year-round in London :(
http://instagram.com/p/O1K5oYPEV1/