A visor vanity for use in a vehicle includes a vanity mirror, a light source for providing illumination to the user of the mirror or for other purposes, an energy source independent of the vehicle's electrical system for energizing the light source, a switch for causing light source to be energized by the independent power source or de-energized, and a timer for de-energizing the light source after a certain time period has passed so as to minimize depletion of the independent energy source. The light source may comprise one or more LEDs.