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Picture your morning routine. Now imagine 80 women in triple-decker bunks rolling out of bed to take "navy showers" (that means under five minutes, ladies), then fighting for their place in front of three -- yes, three -- mirrors.

Not a pretty picture, but that's just life in the Navy for Cristina Arcelay, 28, Petty Officer, First Class, and Samantha Ruiz, 27, Petty Officer, Second Class, who live half their lives aboard a battleship.

It was for all of those reasons -- and the fact that we wanted to thank our troops for their noble service to our country -- that we invited them to Edris Salon, one of the top salons in New York City, for a much-deserved makeover.

After the jump, these two ace naval officers describe their battleship-centric beauty routines, and what it felt like to have an entire troop of Edris experts pampering them for one whole morning.

We've even captured their transformation on video, and believe us when we say that by the time we were done with these two gorgeous creatures, you wouldn't even recognize them. Heck, they hardly recognized themselves.

Ten-hut, Lemondroppers: what life in the military is really like after the jump.*left:306px; *top:-40px;

Lemondrop: What do you each of you do in the Navy?
Cristina: I'm in intelligence.
Samantha: I'm a mechanical engineer.

Is it difficult to be a female naval officer?
Samantha: There's not that many of us. Since I work in engineering, I'm probably the only woman working in my department. When you're working with the guys, you've got to be sure you can do your job as good as they do, but in the Navy we don't see "male" or "female." We're all sailors -- we're all on the same mission.

So, we're all so insanely curious: What's it really like to live on a battleship?
Samantha: I've been on two aircraft carriers. They're four acres, so it's like putting four football fields back-to-back. We're usually on a ship for 25 days, then on what we call "liberty" for six days. When we do deploy, it's for six to eight months. Whatever open commands we do, it's 25 days that we're out at a time.
Cristina: As far as where we live, we have a berthing area -- with 80 females in one area.
Samantha: It's fun -- like one big sleepover. You have people who are 18 and 45. There's a lounge and a TV. We sleep in bunk beds, but they're three racks -- triple-deckers. The top rack is great; there's so much space. There's no sitting up in the middle rack!


And what about this business of getting ready on a ship?
Cristina: My beauty routine is nonexistent. It's pretty much get up and go. Normally you're up and ready by 0700 hours. I used to work in the weapons department, teaching people how to shoot 25 millimeters. You're all greasy, so there's no real point in getting all dolled up!
Samantha: Honestly? I wet it, put it in a bun, and I'm out the door. Makeup -- on a ship, there's no time. You have 80 females all waking up at the same time. The space I work in, the bathroom has three mirrors, so having a beauty routine really isn't feasible.

Are there women who try to keep up their routines on the ship?
Cristina: You can't, really, and it's just not as important. You get a five-minute shower, and sleep and work are just more important. What you can get on the ship, in terms of products, is very, very basic.
Samantha: Some women do it -- they wake up 30 minutes earlier and put makeup on. And I do have my desert-island product. I never leave land without Pantene Pro-V!

Are there a lot of limitations, style-wise, in the military?
Cristina: The word we use is "faddish." You're not supposed to do anything that's just trendy or over-the-top or, like, "too much." Like, when guys were trying to get away with fauxhawks.
Samantha: And your hair has to be above your collar, or pulled back in a bun. That's why I'm ready to go short! I want a change.

What do you wear on board a battleship?
Samantha: We're not always dressed in white, like people think. Those are our dress uniforms.
Cristina: The dress whites are hard to keep clean, and we pay for dry cleaning! It's cheaper on base than in real life, though.
Samantha: On the ship we wear coveralls. When I'm off duty, I love Banana Republic, ballet flats and button-down shirts.
Cristina: I'm actually very low maintenance -- T-shirts and jeans. I really like H&M.

What do you like to do for fun?
Cristina: I like to go out and dance. I like hip-hop, reggaeton. We do get to do that a lot, which people don't realize.
Samantha: The ship that I was on had a movie night every Saturday, and a pizza/wings night on Sundays. We keep up -- we get to see the new releases coming out in theaters. Or you can bring your own picks.

Do people date on the ship?
Cristina: Oh, yes.

Is that difficult? It seems like it would be hard to date somebody where you're stuck together on a ship.
No, actually, it's an experience you can only have in the military. You get to work and travel with someone and experience different parts of the world for the first time. You're having all of these new experiences, going to different countries and experiencing cultures in a way you would never have the opportunity to with someone otherwise. You're not just meeting someone and "hanging out." It's the difference between going to dinner and a movie ... and going to Tokyo.

Dating in such close quarters seems like it might generate drama.
No, no. We're all sailors. We're there to do a job.

What's something you wish people knew or understood better about life in the military?
Cristina: How many people you get to meet in the Navy, and the level of closeness you have with each other. That we have lives.
Samantha: How the Navy has changed me. It meant I had to step up to the plate and be more confident. I was so shy in high school -- I would never speak to anyone. After boot camp, everybody has to go to technical school -- it's where you learn skills.

So, by now you've been deployed all over the world, huh?
Samantha: I was in Virginia for eight years. I was on three ships, then two shore commands. I've been to Germany, Poland, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Portugal, Italy, Bahrain, Dubai, Cyprus and Sudha in Greece.
Cristina: I've been on the other side of the world -- all over the Far East. The last place I was stationed was Hawaii. I'd like to be someplace on the East Coast!
Samantha: I joined the Navy because I wanted to get out of New York. My grandmother came from Puerto Rico when she was 25, and she already had four kids. My mom has never left New York. It's a great city, but when you go overseas, you meet all of these people.

Where was your favorite place you've traveled?
Samantha: My favorite port was Capri. You cross the bridge, and it's just all of these little shops and there's a white sand beach. It's like nowhere on Earth.
Cristina: Japan. It was just unbelievable. I've always loved Japan. I have a lot of good memories there. I never thought I'd go there -- it seemed so out of reach. But it was one of the first places I was sent when I joined up. I was 20.

What was one moment that you really remember as standing out during your time in the service?
Samantha: We always go on tours. Our public affairs officers will ask us what we're interested in, how we want to get involved. I worked with a women's shelter when we were stationed in Dubai. These women were left there. They had no papers, no identity -- your husband could just leave you with nothing. That was one of the most meaningful days to me.
Cristina: The first time I got deployed it was right after 9/11, and all the people were thanking us. They were so appreciative.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about life in the military?
Cristina: That we're robots -- that we aren't individuals, or that we don't like to have fun and go out like everybody else.
Samantha: I think people have this misconception that we don't really think for ourselves and we just do what we're told. And, the bonds that we have in the Navy, I think you can say they're stronger than people who haven't really been in the military. We come together like one big family.

So, what do you think that big family is going to think of your makeovers?
Samantha: I don't know. I feel like a whole new person.
Cristina: I never knew I could look like this. I can't wait to go back to our meeting this afternoon. They're gonna be like, whoa, who are they!?