See 'The Biggest Loser' Contestant Felicia Buffkin's 'Sexy' Makeover After Losing 50 Lbs.

Felicia Buffkin spent the first half of her time on The Biggest Loser working out and shedding weight, but the results didn’t really sink in until Makeover Week.

“It’s allowed me to appreciate the hard work I’ve put in carving this new body of mine,” the 29-year-old says in the current issue of PEOPLE. “I was so emotional when I saw myself in the mirror for the first time.”

Celeb hairstylist Ken Paves – who helped make over the final six contestants for the episode of the NBC reality weight-loss competition show airing Monday – says that’s a common reaction.

“Unfortunately when most of us look in the mirror, we immediately condemn ourselves for something and we believe whatever that is. We are usually our worst critic and the harshest to ourselves,” he says. “When someone has struggled the majority of their life with their weight, their mind only allows them to see themselves as overweight. My hope is when I am done, they look in the mirror and see someone new – not only the difference in their hair, but that they recognize they are no longer the person that they were.”

RELATED VIDEO: Bob Harper Dishes on the Newest Season of The Biggest Loser

Trying on new (and more form-fitting) clothes also played a big part in Buffkin’s mental transformation.

“I love shopping. But I was always terrified I’d be told a store didn’t carry my size, so I’d get my clothes from the same place I got my groceries. I’d just throw something in the cart and keep moving,” says Buffkin, who tears up when thinking about how much her mental state has changed since losing more than 50 lbs. “Now I feel confident and sexy!”

•For more from Buffkin on her amazing transformation, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

That’s a change that was evident to Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn, who was also on hand for the makeovers.

“When I sent Felicia into the dressing room, she had a tremendous amount of apprehension,” says Gunn. “When she emerged from behind the curtain and looked in the full-length mirror, I saw her have an epiphany about the reality of her new size and shape and how the world would now see her.”

He says the reaction was similar for former The Voice contestant Erin Willett, who has also lost 50 lbs. on this season of The Biggest Loser after struggling with bulimia.

“Erin is blessed with oodles of self-confidence and high self-esteem, but this is not to say that her weight gain didn’t derail her self-confidence – it did,” he says. “But she possesses the ability to rally, and rally she did. Erin was eager to try on anything and everything. She and I were both intent on finding looks that could transition from street to stage, because she’s going to spend a lot of in the public eye. And she’s ready for her close-up!”

The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation airs Mondays (at 8 p.m. ET) on NBC.