Color Me Confused

AARGH!!

So- I've been repainting the house- room by room these last few months and I'm so flipping frustrated. I must be the single worst person in the world when it comes to picking out colors for walls. I can't seem to get anything right! I mean for heavens sake- I work with color and mix shades for hair color daily with no problems- but can't manage to paint a blasted white wall. I am intimately acquainted with the color wheel with its shades and hues and in my head- everything looks perfect- but it is NOT translating on the walls. My Pottery Barn dreams are being crushed by my own hand.

The first room I tried to re-do was our kitchen a few months ago and it took me 3 different shades and countless coats of paint before I finally got it right. I was going for like a wheat color- a muted yellow/gold and ended up brighter than sunshine yellow all over the place. It's still a few shades brighter than I would like, but the thought of climbing up to paint above all the cupboards again makes me want to sob and throw things. I had to redo it 3 times before it was tolerable...
I repainted the master bedroom right before we got our new furniture (thank you again football season) and it actually turned out pretty well- a lovely restful mossy green that looks fabulous with my black bedroom set. I didn't have to re-paint this room.
However, I bought a whole new bedspread ensemble and tried to match the master bathroom paint color to the flowers on the spread and curtains. I was going for a nice mellow coral color and it ended up being a retina burning neon orange. And then when I added white to tone it down, the second coat ended up looking like 1985 peach. Awesome. All I needed was some geese and a raffia wreath. I'm now on my 5th coat trying to undo the horror of every shade of orange imaginable. My hands ache and throb from clutching the paintbrush and my hair is permanently highlighted with orange paint.
I have also been repainting my old bedroom furniture for the boys and I can't even get the blue for that the right shade. I'm trying to match the night stands, entertainment center and armoire to their other pieces I've painted or bought in the past and it's proving to be impossible task. I was all excited to put up bead board and make a train shelf around the room and paint the upper half the same shade of blue, but the thought of painting another room 5 times over is exhausting.
It's not like I go, close my eyes and just grab a color when I buy the paint either. I take swatches, and fabric samples and experiment with textures and finishes. I do my research and flip through countless catalogs and books. I just cannot figure this out!!
After all the re-do's and half used gallons of paint- I think it would've been cheaper to hire a professional painter to do the whole house and it would've saved my carpal tunnels... I've never shied away from color or do-it-yourself projects but maybe I need a healthy dose of fear?
This is why I've been terrible about blogging lately- I'm painting myself into corners. Literally.

On the plus side- If anyone is in the market for peach, sunshine yellow, neon orange or various shades of "liberty blue" paint though- I've got plenty available...