It’s not hard to see why e.l.f. Cosmetics blew up to be such a popular makeup brand: they make affordable, high quality dupes, and all of their products are cruelty free and vegan. (They also offer “pawternity” leave to employees who adopt a shelter animal!) But while many would say e.l.f. is already doing the lord’s work, for one of the brand’s co-founders, it wasn’t quite enough. Scott-Vincent Borba created e.l.f. with father/son Alan & Joseph Shamah back in 2004. With the success of the company, Borba went on to write skincare-minded cookbooks, founded his own eponymous makeup line, and administered a $7,000 facial to Mila Kunis ahead of the 2011 Golden Globes. (Which is kind of funny because later that year Borba was rumored to be a rebound boyfriend for Demi Moore following her Ashton Kutcher split, and now of course Ashton and Mila are married.) Borba became a millionaire, but though his purse runneth over, the well of his soul ran unmoisturized. In 2019 Borba began the process of liquid-eyeliner-dating his fortune and worldly goods to charity so he could become a Catholic priest. Seven years later, and Borba is set to be ordained by the end of this month. Praise be.
The former makeup brand leader, 52, will be ordained as a Catholic priest in his hometown of Visalia, Calif., by the Diocese of Fresno on May 23, officially marking a new chapter years after his departure from e.l.f. Cosmetics, ABC 7 reported.
“I have never been happier in my life,” Borba told ABC 7. “Once I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God’s help to the focus to Him, the joy started coming.”
…Borba announced in a 2019 interview on CBS 47 that he was committing his life to the ministry after giving up his makeup fortune as he opened up about his unfulfilling lifestyle in his earlier years.
“I was vapid. I had a perverse life,” said Borba. “I went to L.A., I got sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle — it was almost to a point where I was trying to sell my soul, right, for all of the riches of the world, which is not what we’re supposed to be … I was living for myself … I was a poster boy for luxury.”
Borba said that he had felt a calling of becoming a priest “ever since I can remember” and “finally accepted the call about maybe three years ago.”
Borba told ABC 7 that he always felt connected to religion as a child but suppressed his religious side for decades during his company’s success. It wasn’t until his 40s that he turned to religion again after experiencing a “sudden loss of joy.”
“I asked our Lord to help me be the man that he created me to be. And upon that instance, I had this massive flood of love and mercy that came into my life,” Borba told ABC 7. “It was a very mystical experience.”
It was then that Borba decided to give up his fortune acquired from e.l.f. Cosmetics to charity and commit to ministry, per ABC 7.
Borba is now a deacon and a seminarian at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, living a much more humble life than before.
“I live in a little tiny room … it’s sparse, nothing in it,” he told ABC 7. “I have a few bits of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. And my life has been culled down to the bare minimum.”
Well, God won this round of bingo, cause I don’t think any of us had “millionaire makeup founder gives up fortune to become a Catholic priest” on our cards! If it makes Borba happy (and he’s not hurting anyone), then God bless. Literally. But I am also a little stinker, so I do hope his future congregants keep us apprised of any sermon slip-ups that may happen. Perfectly understandable when starting a new job after decades in another! I’m hoping for things like: “I am the highlighter of the world.” “Our falsies, who art on eyelashes, curled by thy frame.” “Let she who is without skin primer cast the first toner.” “Blessed are the exfoliated, for they will inherit the powder.” “Love thy neighbor as thine e.l.f.” (I went to a religious school growing up and yes, I was like this then, too.)
Photos credit: Michael Germana/Avalon and via Instagram/Diocese of Fresno and YouTube/ABC7
As someone who deconstructed in my 40s, it’s always weird to see someone else going the other direction and suddenly leaning so hard into a religion in middle age. I hope it fulfills whatever he felt he was missing. Eyebrows are still on point! I guess he did not give up his tweezers and pencil.
Same, although I think I started in my 30s. Most of the people I know who go this way it’s because of addiction or serial monogamy. Either way, it’s usually a recovery choice of some kind.
I hope this brings him continued joy.
With all due respect, “deconstruction” usually refers to evangelicalism, which is an entirely different religious structure than Catholicism (see JD Vance getting roasted for being a fake Catholic). It’s a long process, and the modern Church is pretty invested in making postulants examine their motives and conscience and argue over and over that their vocation is true, and not a means of hiding out from “the real world.”
Good for him! May he find the life of happiness and community and service that my late aunt Sister Ginny did.
Ahhhhh the radical choice to reject material things. Religion isn’t always the enemy of the good life.
I’m impressed. But more importantly, it’s about him, and I hope this brings him peace and joy.
Cosigning this.
This is so interesting. I hope he has a fulfilling life and is able to help others.
Good for him!
Bless him.
And also bless Kismet, for delivering unto us lines such as this: “though his purse runneth over, the well of his soul ran unmoisturized.”
Amen!
Hear! Hear!
Kismet, thank you so much for your hilarious writing on this post!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
That’s awesome.
loved this post!
…”well of his soul ran unmoisturized”
…I’m dead!!🤣🤣