Scott-Vincent Borba, the 52-year-old co-founder of e.l.f. Cosmetics, is set to be ordained as a Catholic priest, leaving behind his beauty empire and multimillion-dollar fortune. The former makeup mogul will be ordained by the Diocese of Fresno in his California hometown, marking a dramatic shift from his past life in the cosmetics industry.
A Life Transformed
Borba, who helped launch the Oakland-based makeup brand in 2004 alongside Joseph Shamah, decided to enter seminary in 2019 after losing his sense of joy in his forties. “I asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be,” Borba told local ABC affiliate KGO. “And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life. It was a very mystical experience.”
The brand, which stands for Eyes Lips Face, quickly gained popularity for its affordable prices and was sold in major retailers like Target, Walgreens, and QVC. Last year, e.l.f. acquired Hailey Bieber’s skincare and makeup brand rhode in a $1 billion deal.
From Luxury to Simplicity
Borba reflected on his formerly glamorous career, saying, “We ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton, and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life. I was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful.”
Though the exact amount he gave away is unknown, Borba has described it as a “multimillion-dollar” fortune. He began donating to charity in stages after feeling convicted in 2019. “God called me to give up everything, and I thought that meant just my cars,” he told Catholic outlet OSV News. “So I had an Aston Martin convertible, and I said, ‘All right, Lord, I’m gonna sell this car, give the money to charity, and then use some other money to get myself a truck.’ Then he said, ‘Give it all up.’”
He formally resigned from his business ventures in 2021. Now, Borba lives a sparse life at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, awaiting his May 23 ordination ceremony. “I live in a little tiny room with…it's sparse, nothing in it,” he said. “My life has been culled down to the bare minimum.”
A New Calling
Despite his former wealth, Borba insists he has never been happier. “Once I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God's help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming,” he added. The deacon and seminarian’s journey from a beauty mogul to a man of faith serves as a powerful testament to his commitment to his new path.
