Welcome to HNGN's weekly top picks, where we cull the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, beauty, tech, and pop culture. Come back each week for more of-the-moment goodness.

MUSIC

Neil Young: Storytone (Reprise)

On his whopping 35th studio album, Neil Young, always the restless artist, yet again employed a new approach. Young recorded the new songs live in the studio, "some with a 92-piece orchestra; choir and Young; some with a 60-piece orchestra; and three with a big band," according to a press release from his record label.

Mariachi El Bronx: Mariachi El Bronx (III) (White Drugs/ATO Records)

Mariachi El Bronx, the alter ego of L.A. hardcore punk outfit The Bronx, releases its third self-titled album this week. "Mariachi El Bronx (III)" is the follow-up to (you guessed it) "Mariachi El Bronx (II)," which debuted atop Billboard's Alternative New Artist Chart.

You can check out a trailer for the new album here:

Calvin Harris: Motion (Columbia Records)

Breakout EDM star Calvin Harris taps artists like Gwen Stefani, HAIM and Ellie Goulding for "Motion," the Scotsman's fourth album, but according to an AllMusic.com review, "the album's finest moment belongs to Harris alone" on his hit song "Summer."

30 Days of the Dead (Dead.net)

The Grateful Dead might have ceased to be after the 1995 death of Jerry Garcia, but the legendary band is, in some ways, very much alive. Dead.net continues its annual November tradition of "30 Days of the Dead" - one free, previously unreleased MP3 download of a live track selected by Dead archivist David Lemieux made available each day of the month. You can get your daily downloads here.

DVDs/BLU-RAY RELEASES

Maleficent (Walt Disney Pictures)

Angelina Jolie gives life to one of Disney's greatest villains - Maleficent. The evil fairy once lived a life of happiness, but an invasion of her land and an act of betrayal against her leads her heart to turn into stone. Maleficent seeks revenge and she starts with placing a curse upon the new king's infant daughter Aurora, but she soon realizes the princess could hold the key to her finding happiness once again.

Special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD include deleted scenes, an interview with Elle Fanning and behind-the-scenes featurettes on special effects, creating the battle scenes and reimagining the classic "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale for "a new generation."

Hercules (Paramount Pictures)

Hollywood released two movies on the demigod this summer. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as Hercules who is a warrior-for-hire. The King of Thrace and his daughter ask for his assistance in training an army to defeat a tyrannical warlord.

Special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD include audio commentary with the cast and a bloopers, outtakes and gag reel.

Planes: Fire & Rescue (Walt Disney Pictures)

The air-racing Dusty returns in the Disney sequel to "Planes." The cropdusting plane may never race again when his engine breaks down. He joins up with a veteran fire-and-rescue helicopter and his team that will work together to fight an out-of-control wildfire.

Special features on the Blu-Ray/DVD includes a "CHoPs" TV promo, a music video for the song "Still I Fly," deleted scenes, the animated short "Vitaminamulch: Air Spectacular" and more.

A Most Wanted Man (Roadside Attractions)

In one of his last movies before his untimely death, Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays German espionage agent Günther Bachmann, who leads a team that seeks intelligence on a local Muslim community near Hamburg. Their main target is a refugee from Chechnya, whom they consider a terrorist. "A Most Wanted Man" is based on the John le Carré novel.

Special features on the DVD include two behind-the-scenes featurettes.

White Collar: Season 5 (20th Century Fox)

In the fifth season, a new handler takes on Neal's con man as his former handler Peter gets a promotion. The two will soon be back on the case together for 13 episodes in the popular USA series.

Special features on the DVD include deleted scenes, a gag reel, audio commentary for selected episodes and more.

Other Movies and TV Shows Available on Blu-Ray and DVD Include:

- Step Up All In (Summit Entertainment)

- The One I Love (Anchor Bay)

- About Alex (Screen Media Films)

- Hot In Cleveland: Season 5 (Paramount TV)

- The Newsroom: Season 2 (HBO Studios)

- Touch: Season 2 (Olive Films DVD)

Movies and TV Streaming Online

Fading Gigolo

Woody Allen goes in front of the camera for director-actor John Turturro. It's the first film Allen acted in but didn't direct in 14 years; however, Turturro did welcome screenplay suggestions from the legendary writer-director.

Netflix has the film available for streaming.

Nebraska

Alexander Payne followed up his Oscar-winning film The Descendants with this father-son tale. An aging man (played by Bruce Dern) takes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son (Will Forte) to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for Dern, Best Supporting Actress for June Squibb, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Directing.

Netflix and Amazon Prime both have the film available for streaming.

Quartet

Two-time Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut with "Quartet" that also stars "Harry Potter" alums Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon. Smith's character returns to the retirement community for musicians to reunite with her former quartet to celebrate Verdi's birthday. One of the members of the quartet is her ex-husband (Tom Courtenay), who still harbors feelings for his ex-wife.

Netflix has the film available for streaming.

Check out our complete list of movies available for streaming on Netflix this month and see below for more options on Amazon Prime and for purchase at iTunes. 

Amazon Prime

- Still Mine

- Some Velvet Morning

- Maladies

iTunes

- Life Partners

- Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

- 21 Years: Richard Linklater

- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

- James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge

- Mood Indigo

- The Expandables 3

- If I Stay

- Thomas & Friends: Signals Crossed

- The Chair: Season 1

- Getting On: Season 1

- Batman: The Original Series

FASHION

Alexander Wang for H&M: H&M is about to make a killing with yet another designer collaboration, this time featuring Alexander Wang, a young trailblazing designer who also happens to be the creative director of Balenciaga.

The sporty collection – which is so highly anticipated that shoppers will receive color-coded wristbands indicating when they can shop – features cropped logo sweatshirts ($59.95), heeled boots ($199), fitted cutout dresses ($99), bustiers ($34.95) and other pieces that exude a "glamorous athlete" vibe.

The men and women Wang X H&M collection hits stores Nov. 6, according to StyleCaster.com, which means you might want to start waiting in line right now to beat the other hungry shoppers.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" collection from Make Up For Ever:

Make your inner goddess purr like Anastasia Steele with this limited edition makeup collection inspired by E.L. James' sizzling trilogy, which is set to debut on the big screen in February 2015.

The line is split into three mini collections with tantalizing names like "Tease Me" which offers a lip liner, an ultra-pigmented lip gloss and a lighter-colored lip gloss, according to InStyle. There's also a "Desire Me" blush palette housed inside a rope-tie velvet pouch and the "Give In To Me" kit featuring neutral-toned eye shadows and lip shades that will make you say, in the immortal words of Steele, "Oh my."

Make Up For Ever's "Fifty Shades of Grey" line ranges in price from $32 to $79 and will be available exclusively at Sephora staring Dec. 26.

Gray trend: Gray – the color, not the millionaire stud – is trending pretty hard this fall, with gray coats, nail polish, sweaters and scarves flooding clothing stores and fashion sites. Even Alexander Wang's H&M collection is mostly in shades of gray (book pun intended).

So if you don't get the chance to snag pieces from Wang's coveted line, keep in mind the fashion accessories and home décor company Echo Design, which has an entire section on its website dedicated to the gray trend.

They also have touchscreen gloves in leather or cashmere so you can text away while protecting your fingers from the bone-chilling cold.

Siren Ring: This new piece of wearable technology is exactly what it sounds like - a ring that gives off a deafening alarm meant to ward off assailants if you find yourself in danger of being assaulted. The Siren Ring looks like a fancy cocktail ring, but with a twist of the top it sets off a 110-decibel alarm, meaning it's louder than a motorcycle or your average sandblaster, Refinery 29 noted.

Creator Kat Alexander came up with the concept after what she called her "scariest encounter" in college, according to Fashionista. She wants the public to know the ring is not meant to place the burden of self-protection on women.

"It's not that we're putting the responsibility for safety back on the woman, but it's good [to have protection]," Alexander told Fashionista. "You can get on board with campaigns that educate men and also get on board with being proactive."

Siren Ring, which launched Nov. 1, is expensive at $245, but Alexander hopes to lower the price over time.

Honest Amish and Beardbrand: It's November, which means it's also "Movember" or "No Shave November," the month that men grow out their moustaches and beards to raise awareness about men's health issues, including prostate and testicular cancers.

In order to tame the extra facial hair, try Beard Balm Leave-in Conditioner from Honest Amish ($14.50), an Amazon best-seller made with a blend of argan, avocado and apricot oils that softens the hair and sooths the itch from new growth. Another option is Beardbrand's Tea Tree Beard Oil for $25, which is a favorite among the bearded staff at The Huffington Post.

And if these grooming products don't work, you can always try talking to your beard or staring at it for 10 minutes a day to increase thickness, which HuffPost music and social media Editor Ryan Kristobak swears by.

TECH

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung's Galaxy Note Edge will be available starting Nov. 14 for those who use Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. The phablet comes with a 2.7GHz Qualcomm processor, 16-megapixel main camera, 3.7-megapixel wide-angle front camera, a 3220 mAh removable battery, plastic S Pen and MicroSD card slot under the back cover, which can be removed. Its 5.6-inch Super AMOLED screen lets users access apps, music, news and the Internet without interrupting what's playing on the main screen. Sprint is offering a $35-per-month monthly plan ($840 total) for the Galaxy Note Edge, while AT&T is offering it for $400 on contract as well as $950 up front.

Nest Software Update for Learning Thermostat

Nest is releasing a software update for its Learning Thermostat this week as a way to make the device "smater." Several new features are coming to the device, such as "Quick View," which makes it easier for users to view the temperature and humidity inside and outside their home, and a System Test mode, which helps users find and solve problems with the device by walking them through its basic functions. The new version of the auto-schedule feature can recognize and adapt to changes made to the temperature in the room, which Nest says will let users save 6 percent on their heating and cooling bills.

Jawbone Up3 and Up Move

Jawbone is now launching its two new fitness trackers, the Up3 and the Up Move. The Up3 comes with a variety of sensors that measure factors like your temperature, heart rate and how hydrated you are, and it also features a Smart Coach functionality that lets it determine exactly what exercise or sport you were playing. The Up Move comes with similar features, along with the ability to keep track of when you're sleeping, though it is not advanced as the Up3. The Up3 is available for $179, and the Up Move goes for $49.99.

HEATED PRODUCTS WE LOVE

As we get further into fall with the weather dropping, we have our eyes on a few heated products that provide a little extra warmth on a cold day.

Heated Steering Wheel Cover

There aren't many things worse than getting into your car on a frigid morning and wrapping your hands around an ice-cold steering wheel. Sharper Image's heated steering wheel cover takes the chill out of those dreadful morning drives. The steering wheel cover is made of rubber, fits most standard steering wheels and comes with a rechargeable battery.

Umbrella Pole Patio Heater

We're not totally ready to hibernate indoors with the heat blasting just yet, which is why we love Sharper Image's umbrella pole patio heater. The heater that sits on top of the umbrella pole is perfect for the fall because that little extra heat lets you enjoy the great outdoors well into the colder months.

Heated Massaging Stadium Cushion

This Sharper Image portable massage chair is perfect for the sports fan who hates sitting on cold metal bleachers and needs a little extra warmth to enjoy the game. The seat independently radiates heat and massage out of the lower back and bottom of the chair. Then, when the game ends, the chair is completely portable, so fold up and go!

Heated Jacket

We love this Sharper Image heated jacket for the cold winter days slowly approaching us. The jacket comes with a rechargeable battery that can provide intense heat for two hours or lighter, soothing heat throughout the course of the day.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Social networking platform Ello is so cool, you have to be invited to join. The ad-free site also vows to never sell data about its users to third parties.

Find out more about Ello and request an invite to join here.

A GAGGLE OF GIFT IDEAS

IQ Massager Slippers

Why make an appointment at an expensive spa for a rub-down when you can have one every single day? These massaging slippers electrically stimulate foot muscles at a pace and repetition of your choosing. Soothe your aching arches for just 35 bucks here.

Star Trek Uniform Dog Collar

Channel Spock with this canine fanboy dreamboat: a custom, woven collar for your pup that features a rubber Delta charm and Star Trek logo patch. Buy it here, and beam me up, Scotty.

Orion 10069 StarSeeker Telescope

Cast your gaze skyward with this 127mm telescope – Orion's largest-aperture Star Seeker II Mak-Cass. According to the manufacturer, the sleek design shoves a massive amount of magnifying power into this small, portable device. 

(Reporting by: Michael Lello, Emily Morgan, John Nassivera, Oulimata Ba, Amanda Bernocco and Maxine Wally. Editing by: Maxine Wally and Michael Lello. Want to be considered for Coveted? Send your product information, with photos, to m.bullerdick@hngn.com or send product samples to Michael Q. Bullerdick HNGN/33 Universal, 33 Whitehall Street - 7th Floor, New York, NY 10004)