Tastes certainly vary. My point is people must have a lot of tastes in common . Every single subjective sense you have is shared by many others. Your coolness meter is a very reliable indicator of what lots of other people will think, just not all other people. Color schemes don't charm, so much as they make the people associated with them seem charming.
Context overarches all.
A color scheme's influence can be significantly enhanced or ruined by poor graphics, layout, usability, content, etc. Clothing's influence can be significantly enhanced or ruined by attitude, intelligence, health, aroma, etc. If you decide it's not important to impress your users, go ahead with the formulas, or copy colors from another site, or flip a coin. But if an aura of excellence is worth some effort, then tune into your coolness meter, be persistent looking for color that sets it off, and dress your website to kill. Bob Stein , is Chief Technology Spelunker of VisiBone , making HTML and color reference cards , charts and mouse pads.