Skillfully shaped eyebrows, enhanced eyelashes, facials, makeup and the right hairstyle can dramatically change a person’s appearance and boost their self-confidence. For Rosalina Ibarra De Calderas, helping clients look and feel great led to the creation of her own business, Radiance Rosalina Spa and Brows, will hold its grand opening at 6 p.m. May 30 at 15 E. Southridge Road.

When Ibarra De Calderas was a young girl, she enjoyed experimenting with beauty products, and was known for her skilled hand at applying cosmetics. She’d get asked to do hair and makeup for friends and family, but never envisioned it as a potential career until recent years.

A native of Janambo, Mexico, she moved to the United States at age 15, first living in California, then coming to Marshalltown in December 1999. She graduated from Marshalltown High School then earned an Associate of Arts degree from Marshalltown Community College. After a term at Buena Vista University, she went back to MCC to earn a CMA for nursing, and took a job at the Iowa Veterans Home. But she says, fate had other plans.

“I had more people requesting me to do makeup and hair updos, so I decided to go back to school and go for esthetician at La’James,” she said.

Ibarra De Calderas supplemented her training by attending courses on eyebrow microblading in Los Angeles and Miami.

“I got a license here, but I went to take the courses there and I really enjoyed it,” she noted.

She rented a chair at Ashley’s Beauty Salon in Des Moines, but with four kids, the commute grew tiresome.

“They were so nice to me, but I’d rather stay in town where I’ve been living for such a long time,” she said of opening her business in Marshalltown.

She then worked from home in a garage her husband converted into a space for her. But, she says, she missed the salon setting. When the opportunity came up to open a brick and mortar locale, she jumped at the chance.

Her services include custom hairstyles, professional makeup (including permanent eyeliner and lip blush), facials that address anti-aging, acne, deep cleansing and hydration, and more, lash and brow treatments, waxing and massage.

While her salon will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., she said she expects to have clients in house even earlier in the day to get them ready for special occasions such as weddings and Quinceañeras. Ibarra De Calderas noted that customers seek fuller, natural looking brows, as compared to thinner ones.

“I try to explain how they will look on them and make sure they like their brows,” she said. “I go more with natural looking — go light — and if they want them darker I can. I’d rather be safe.”

Brow lamination treatments restructure and lift brows to make a fuller, more defined shape that lasts for weeks. Powder brows are a semi-permanent makeup technique designed to offer soft, natural-looking brows with a shaded effect, which can last for up to two to three years with minimal touch-ups. Microblading uses a manual handheld tool with tiny, fine needles (which can range in size from nano to micro) to create hair-like strokes by implanting pigment into the skin’s upper layer.

“When I use a machine, we can do a combination with powder and nano brows. It looks just beautiful,” she added.

Lash tinting adds color to lashes, while extensions put in false lashes for a bolder look.

She said as swimsuit season nears, she expects to see an uptick in bikini and Brazilian waxing. Another common area she waxes is the face, but clients can special request arms or legs, too.

Walk-ins are welcome, and she hopes to eventually grow her business to add staff.

For more information or to book an appointment, Ibarra De Calderas may be reached at: Irosalina500@yahoo.com. Call or text: 641-351-0651. Visit her online at www.radiancerosalinaspaandbrows.com and other social media platforms.