Since first making an appearance in the digital world, #BlackGirlMagic has taken on a life of its own. Anything and everything that positively relates to Black women has been called #BlackGirlMagic. A meme of Beyoncé and Solange, my younger sister graduating from college, a selfie with a beat face in good lighting: all #BlackGirlMagic. What started as a simple hashtag has grown into an uncontainable force of positivity that celebrates the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women.I can’t remember when I first heard #BlackGirlMagic, but I’m certain it was followed by an audible "yaaass" and an immediate group text (the name of which was promptly changed to #BlackGirlMagic) to my high school BFFs letting them know what was up — Black women. While Black women have always been nothing short of amazing, having a shared name for our awesomeness is empowering and has connected us to each other in a new way. More importantly, it has enabled us to proudly do whatever it is that makes us feel our most beautiful and authentic selves, unapologetically. And for me, that’s my skin-care routine.Like so many of my fellow Black-girl magicians, I grew up having a complicated relationship with beauty. When I was a child, my mom constantly told my sisters and I how beautiful we were, both inside and out. But not seeing my image reflected in the ads of my favorite beauty brands made it difficult to truly believe her words. It was disheartening not to see my complexion, hair type, or features acknowledged by the beauty industry. I spent my teenage years experimenting with makeup, but was never quite able to find the exact shade or product to complement my skin tone. Finally, I gave up on the effort altogether — that is, until I found the skin-care aisle.Unlike my peers, I no longer headed straight for the MAC counter when we hit the mall, but instead beelined to Clinique. I quickly began spending my time (and money) on skin-care products and became adamant about washing my face at night and moisturizing. I even started using the Garnier Ultra Lift , in the bright-green bottle, at age 18 (crazy, I know). For me, it was a way to experiment with my beauty routine without getting discouraged about my looks. It allowed me to feel beautiful. What I didn't know as a teenager, or even as a young adult, was that my skin-care routine was me tapping into my #BlackGirlMagic.