The most reliable is buying some paint and testing it on the actual wall, but even then the end result might not be what you imagined in your head.

The samplize samples are pretty good, but keep in mind that they use eggshell, so if you buy flat/matte/satin, the end result will appear slightly different due to the different finish.

Don’t rely on the chips. We’ve had equally good luck with Samplize and the little sample cans.

Agree with both @chispa and @chloebud

Nothing beats painting samples yourself, in your own space, ALL four walls, around the clock lighting.

When you return to the store for more of the same paint, bring your can label generated at the time of your original purchase, and have THE SAME Person mix the color, even though it may be computer measured, every paint salesperson may mix differently.

I do my own large samples on large poster boards with 2 coats of the color I want from a sample can . Testing on an already painted wall is never the best . The tiny little samples are useless other thna getting ideas for what might work. Make sure that sample can is also the same sheen you will use. The bonus with the poster boards you can move them all over in differnent lighting and times of day.

Patricia Cowell (as usual) has offered some excellent advice! Painted poster boards are an excellent way to test out paint colors in a space. Paint chips are really too small to give an accurate idea of how a paint color will actually look in a space.

Agree to all the comments, but add in the natural light, especially windows which are facing different directions. I find north/south particularly difficult.

Yes to sampling on big poster boards. I like foam board better because it doesn't warp as easily from the moisture from the paint, they lean upright (don't require taping to wall), and you can re-use them multiple times. Poster boards are cheaper, though so there's that.

I find Samplize to be a good starting place to narrow things down but still not a big enough sample to really see how color is going to look in a space. The same color can look very different in the same room on different walls, it's all about the exposure.

To get a truer feeling for sample colours, they need to be seen against a white background, not taped onto an existing wall colour.

Like Chloe, I have been fine with Samplesizr. Of course larger is better, so no harm in buying a large poster board.

I always order 4-6 sheets of any color I'm considering. I order them straight from Ben Moore, and have always found them true to the actual paint color, since they are made with actual paint. The little sample pots don't include all the possible colors, and to buy pints of all the colors you might consider is not practical. I think the Samplize sheets are the same as the ones straight from Ben Moore, so they would be your best bet unless you can get the free ones from a designer or architect.

"I always order 4-6 sheets of any color I'm considering."

Do you mean 4-6 sheets of a singular color? Or sheets of different color? Because it would be cheaper to buy a sample can of paint than 4-6 sheets of a singular color; heck, it's cheaper than even 2 sheets of SAmplize.

Last time I ordered samples from Samplize I think they were 12x12. Looks like now they have two sizes…9x15 and 15x18. They’re done with the actual paint vs computer generated like the little chip samples. They’re excellent for with color representation.

I mean 4-6 sheets of a single color. Designers and architects who have accounts at Ben Moore get them free of charge. I have a huge library of their colors. That's the benefit of using a design professional for color selection.

"Designers and architects who have accounts at Ben Moore get them free of charge."

Ah, well that makes a difference :0)