I would recommend doing their course as the balance gel can be tricky to master due to the consistency - you need to work quite fast with it in this heat. For french after full pep and primer I do a thin layer of blush, cure, then wipe, next I do the white using the brush on white, cure, then the builder layer in either of clear or blush, cure, file to shape, then top gloss for shine, and final cure, then wipe. (each cure is 2 minutes)
In warmer weather I use the 'body builder' balance gels as they have a slightly thicker consistency.
I love the Balance gel, it's great to work with, looks really lovely and is easy to file off.