e.l.f. Cosmetics co-founder preparing to be ordained as priest in Visalia

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Scott Vincent Borba, co-founder of Oakland-based e.l.f. Cosmetics known for a beingness of wealthiness and celebrity, is preparing to go a Catholic clergyman aft giving up his luck and entering seminary.

Borba, 52, moved successful glamorous circles during his years successful the quality industry, a play helium present describes arsenic defined by excess and pride.

"We ran astir with the likes of Paris Hilton, and partying with Kardashians and conscionable doing up the Hollywood life," Borba said. "I was a poster lad for luxury living. I was not successful immoderate mode humble. I was precise prideful."

Borba, a deacon, is simply a seminarian astatine St. Patrick's Seminary successful Menlo Park, surviving a beingness that contrasts sharply with his earlier years.

"I unrecorded successful a small tiny country with.. it's sparse, thing successful it," Borba said. "I person a fewer bits of apparel and a fewer pairs of shoes. And my beingness has been culled down to the bare minimum."

Born successful San Jose, Borba attended Santa Clara University. He is scheduled to beryllium ordained connected May 23 successful Visalia by the Diocese of Fresno, a way considered uncommon successful the Catholic Church.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the mean property for caller priests is 33.

Zach Flanagin, Ph.D., a prof of theology and spiritual studies astatine Saint Mary's College of California, said lone 3% of the existent people of seminarians are implicit 50.

Flanagin said Borba's travel stands out.

"I deliberation that a communicative similar his is simply a large accidental to animate people," Flanagin said. "And certainly, his call, I anticipation it's genuinely successful, due to the fact that if it is, past helium will, hopefully, bring successful radical to cognize Christ."

Borba said helium archetypal felt called to spiritual beingness astatine the property of 10, but resisted for decades. In his 40s, helium said helium experienced a abrupt nonaccomplishment of joyousness that prompted a turning point.

"I asked our Lord to assistance maine beryllium the antheral that helium created maine to be," Flanagin said. "And upon that instance, I had this monolithic flood of emotion and mercy that came into my life. It was a precise mystical experience."

After that moment, helium said, helium gave distant his luck to charity. Once a quality adept connected Home Shopping Network, Borba present focuses connected work and ministry.

While helium is overmuch poorer erstwhile it comes to his possessions, erstwhile it comes to his happiness, he's ne'er been richer.

"I person ne'er been happier successful my life," Borba said. "Once I started to reorient myself, recalibrate myself with God's assistance to the absorption to Him, the joyousness started coming."