SPRINGFIELD - Going before bright lights and television cameras to deliver his annual budget speech, Gov. Rod Blagojevich paid a professional makeup artist $600 to help him look good.

Records show the state paid Deborah Dee, a professional stylist from the Chicago-area town of Crystal Lake. Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the $600 amount included payment for Dee's travel and consultation on the lighting.

When asked Friday why state government paid for makeup, the administration said the billing was a mistake and produced documents showing that Blagojevich's personal campaign fund paid Dee.

But the state paid her with tax money, too. Ottenhoff said Friday that Dee has sent a reimbursement check, but a spokeswoman for the comptroller's office said the state hasn't yet received it.

Web sites show that Dee has done hair and makeup work on television shows including the "The West Wing" and on major films such as "Stranger Than Fiction" and "Groundhog Day," both of which were at least partly filmed in Illinois.

According to state campaign records, Blagojevich has paid Dee for "event preparation" services before. In those cases, he used his personal campaign fund.

Blagojevich has faced criticism this year for his frequent use of government planes to fly from his home in Chicago to Springfield at a cost to the state of $5,800 per day.

Reached by phone this week, Dee said she didn't want to talk about the work she's done for Blagojevich, saying only that "It's business."

State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, said he remained suspicious of the situation.

"The fact remains that someone billed the state $600 for his makeup," he said.

State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, said he likes Blagojevich and that $600 won't make a huge difference in the state's budget. But he agrees that the governor should pay for it himself.

"If you're going to pay for it, pay for it out of your own funds," he said.

mike.riopell@lee.net

(217) 789-0865