As cofounder of e.l.f. Cosmetics, Scott-Vincent Borba made a fortune and was “a poster boy for luxury.” But all that wealth and worldly success left him feeling empty and deeply unhappy.
To address that problem, Borba stopped resisting a calling he had felt since childhood. He gave away his fortune and possessions and then enrolled in seminary. On May 23, the California native will be ordained as a Catholic priest by the District of Fresno. “I have never been happier in my life,” said Borba, who’s currently a deacon.
About his come-to-Jesus moment, Borba said, “I asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be. I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life.”
Scott-Vincent Borba: Cosmetics Mogul Turned Priest
Scott-Vincent Borba, a former model and esthetician to celebrities, co-founded the cruelty-free cosmetics brand e.l.f. (“eyes, lips, face”) in 2004. The brand, now worth an estimated $3 billion, acquired Hailey Bieber’s skincare line for $1 billion last year.
Since age 10, Borba had felt God calling him to ministry. During Mass, when his mother asked “if I wanted to be the man in the robes,” Borba said, “I knew God was placing on my heart to become a priest.”
But after graduating from Santa Clara University, Borba pursued his interests in beauty and wellness. “We ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton, and [were] partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life,” he recalled. “I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful.”
That glamorous lifestyle left Borba “exhausted” and miserable by his 40s. After praying for God’s help, he felt called to “give up everything” he owned.
On May 23, e.l.f. Cosmetics cofounder Scott-Vincent Borba will be ordained as a Catholic priest by the District of Fresno in California.Click to PostThe man who’d once given $7,000 diamond facials to A-list movie stars sold his earthly belongings, donated the money to charity, and enrolled at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California. “I know that our Blessed Mother has brought me into this vocation because of her love for me and for her Son,” he said of the Virgin Mary.
